Flick of the Switch
by FBI Bones
Summary: He took the shot meant for them and now she has to look after his son, keep social services off her back and make the hardest decision of her life. His life depends on a simple flick of the switch.
1. Cavity

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or any of it's affiliated characters or locations._

_Summary: He took the shot meant for them and now she has to look after his son, keep social services off her back and make the hardest decision of her life. His life depends on a simple Flick of the Switch._

_Genre: Tragedy/Angst_

_Pairing: Booth/Brennan _

_Rating: PG13 for language, character death and graphic descriptions._

_Author's Notes: This is my first Bones fiction so please be nice! This came to me in a very weird dream. I knew I shouldn't have put sugar in my coffee._

_/Hides/_

Chapter 1: Cavity

She looked out of the window of the black SUV as they drove through the city, the lights reflecting on a pond in the park as they passed it. She blinked wearily trying to rid her mind of the image that had been pasted there for days now. The face of a young girl, her torn and blood soaked clothes hanging off her decomposing skeleton, her face crystal clear on the body as Angela's sketch had brought the girl's identity forth with almost scary accuracy. Shani Wolf.

She examined bodies every day, found out things about their lives, who was connected to them and recreating their last moments of life. This time was different. Shani had barely been three years old, strands of blonde curly hair tied in pigtails at the sides of her head were still there even after her body had begun to disintegrate. Angela had claimed the girl had blue eyes and from the photograph they had received from the grandparent's mere hours after her body had been brought in she'd been accurate in her claim.

It wasn't just the body that haunted her; it was Angela and Zack's idea of what had happened. The wound to Shani's abdomen and how far her body had been found from that of her parents showed that she'd been running, most likely on her late parent's instruction, when she'd collapsed from the pain, howling in agony and crying out persistently 'Mommy! Daddy!' Those two simple words combined with the image of a three-year-olds dead body had been enough to break even Dr Temperance Brennan's tough exterior.

"I'm supposed to be spending the weekend with Parker, and it's kinda late already so I'm gonna swing by and get him then I'll drop you off back at the lab okay?" Booth glanced at her a second before returning his eyes to the road.

Tonight had shaken her, not that it could deny that it had shaken him as well but she was usually able to deal with whatever she saw quickly and easily, shaking off her own discomfort in order to help put the guilty behind bars.

Over the passed three days as many families had been found dead, some of the bodies older than others, some with gunshot wounds, some having been stabbed. But there was one thing that all the families had in common. They had a child under ten in them. There had been Micheal Woodcroft who was nine the first day, Nicola and Kate Ashton who were twin six year olds the day after and today Shani's family.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, anger coursing through him. Murder was wrong on all accounts obviously, murdering an adult was one thing, killing a child, a child that had barely begun to live . . .

"That's fine," she said, shifting in her seat so she leant partly on the door and watched him.

This didn't unnerve him, he was used to it, she had a habit of watching him and anyone around her and although with most people it would have made him uncomfortable with her he didn't mind.

His grip on the wheel loosened as he pulled up outside Rebecca's apartment "you wanna wait here or…" he trailed off, as she was already out of the car, smiling slightly to himself he got out too and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

She shrugged it off "I like the kid," she said, keeping eye contact with him a moment before going over to the car parked behind them and tapping on the window.

"Why've we stopped here?" Zack asked, rolling the window down.

"Booth just wants to get Parker, you go on home, I'll see you tomorrow"

Zack rolled the window back up as she went back up the driveway to where Booth was staring at the door confused.

"It's called a door Booth," she teased "knock on it,"

"I have, she didn't answer," he frowned slightly. Rebecca had said she would be there when he'd called to say he was going to be late, so why wasn't she answering the door? Why were the lights off?

"You sure she said for you to get him? She wasn't gonna bring him to you?"

"I'm sure," he tried to open the door, expecting it to be locked he was surprised to find that it wasn't and the door simply swung open.

Temperance gasped as she saw the interior. Furniture was upturned; glass shards littered the floor, shimmering in the dim light let in by the street lamps outside like tiny droplets of water. The air was strong with the distinctive tang of danger and fear, and a cold breeze flitted through the open window and through the room.

"Rebecca!" Booth yelled, immediately flicking the light switch and letting himself in "Parker!"

Temperance simply stood there momentarily shocked at the site of the destroyed apartment. A flicker of fear twisted in her gut when Booth stopped calling out names and stood stock still in the kitchen doorway.

"Booth," she trod carefully over the debris, this was a crime scene, it would be easier to find out what had happened without their DNA everywhere and that everything was left as it was found "Booth," she repeated standing behind him.

When he didn't answer only continued to stare at the kitchen floor she tugged at his arm, pulling out of her way so that she could see what he was looking at.

Rebecca.

The woman was lying on her side in a pool of her own blood; her face stoic and emotionless as if finally she'd been in too much pain to register it. Her arms were bound behind her back with wire, digging deep into her wrists, judging by the state of her hands the wire had been on for a while before she'd died. Her clothes torn from her body, hanging in shreds over her, her hair was matted and bloodied at the back and the rest hung over her face.

Stepping carefully over and holding her breath over the metallic scent of human blood and whatever else was mixed in with it. Temperance crouched by her head, and gently pressed two fingers to Rebecca's neck withdrawing them a moment later when she felt no pulse and skimming her eyes across the body and coming to a pause on her abdomen. She brushed her hand across the women's stomach and swallowed when she realised that she'd not only been stabbed but the knife had been twisted viciously once it had penetrated, the skin was so torn surrounding the wound that it seemed the knife had been almost blunt.

A soft sob broke through her thoughts that were running through her head, she stood up and left the kitchen, pulling the door shut behind her, she glanced at Booth who was sat on the couch, his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. Her first thought was that the sob was from him 'til she remembered why they were here in the first place, Parker.

There was another sob that confirmed that it definitely wasn't Booth, if the simple high pitched, terror filled noise hadn't been enough indication his shoulders weren't shaking therefore he couldn't be crying. And it was coming from a room to her left.

When he didn't move she opened the bathroom door and gasped both in relief and in empathy for the child curled up in the corner, crying into his hands as he shook in terror.

"Parker," she said softly, approaching him and crouching in front of him.

He looked up "Bones," he choked softly, staring at her through wide eyes.

Temperance's thoughts flickered to Booth, not only had he given himself the right to call her 'Bones' but he'd taught his son it as well. She didn't correct him though, it wasn't important right now. He was.

"Yeah," she replied, an encouraging smile graced her lips but didn't get anywhere near her eyes, they were filled with anger, fear, horror anything and everything but burning most brightly was determination.

He flung his tiny arms round her neck, pressing himself so close to her it was as if he were trying to share her skin.

Shocked she froze for a moment before reflexively wrapping her arms round him and picking him up, setting him on her hip as he buried his face into her shoulder, sobs still tearing through him as tears soaked her shirt, she didn't care though.

"Booth," she said as she re-entered the lounge 'I found him' she found herself gently swaying her body, rocking the boy and, as if automatically the tears began to taper off.

"Parker," he breathed as stood up. He would have frozen anyway at seeing his son was alive after this vicious and disgusting attack but to see him snuggling up to the anthropologist and said anthropologist rocking him as if it were the most natural thing in the world was even more surprising.

"Are you okay?" Temperance asked, after he didn't make a move to take his son from him.

He nodded mutely, faint tear tracks evident on his face. He may not have liked Rebecca but that… that he wouldn't have wished upon anyone, ever.

"He's asleep," she said, stopping swaying and stiffening when she realised what she was doing. She was holding the son of the women she'd just found dead on her own kitchen floor, rocking him and making shushing noises under her breath to calm him and now he was asleep, one of his arms round his neck his other thumb in his mouth.

Booth nodded again.

* * *

Zack restarted the car in silence and glanced behind him as he reversed up slightly so he could pull out from behind the SUV safely without risking scratching the glossy black paintwork.

"I plan to watch some long movie tonight," Jack reclined in his seat "something with death in it,"

"Don't you see enough of that every day?" Zack queried as he pulled out.

"It's different on a movie, there's pizza and popcorn and always some really hot chicks in there somewhere that the investigator nearly always gets with,"

Zack nodded absently. He intended upon going home and going to bed, the past few days had been long and hard and they still weren't any closer to finding out who was killing the families so sadistically, so cruelly. Every time they peeled back a layer another body would be found, he or she was always one step ahead of them.

"How come there's never any hot chicks in our line of work?" Jack said, glancing in the rear view mirror at Angela who was in the back seat rolling her eyes and drumming her fingers on her jeans clad thigh "'cept you of course Ange," he amended.

She rolled her eyes "dream on Hodgins," she sighed.

He shrugged and looked forwards again.

"Booth's more into lawyers anyway," Zack said as the turned continued down the road.

"Nuh-uh," Angela leant forwards in between their seats, her eyes sparkling again, now this was a subject she was inclined to participate in. So far the guys had discussed bug racing, a lot of technical talk that didn't even seem to touch anything that Brennan talked about.

The many things you could discover about a person from their excrement and a variety of other things that Angela didn't even want to think about "Bren isn't a lawyer," she grinned mischievously at Zack as he glanced down at her.

"Booth's into Tempe?" Jack said, straightening up.

"Duh! Why else would I be in here with you? Booth's car could easily have fitted me in the back seat,"

Zack opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as a loud bang vibrated through the street.

* * *

Booth hadn't spoken in several minutes and Temperance was on the verge of screaming at him, she wasn't comfortable holding Parker, not any more, it just didn't feel right. She didn't do the whole touchy-feely-hugging thing, not that much any way and certainly not with someone else's kid when it's father, its perfectly _good_ father was stood five feet from her. She didn't yell though. He was in shock, finding Rebecca, fearing the worst for Parker, and what will have been a mixture between relief and sorrow at seeing Parker was physically unharmed seemed to have rendered him temporarily speechless as

She hoped with every second that passed that Parker would wake up again and ask for his daddy to take him, but it wasn't going to happen. The child was exhausted and she didn't want to wake him, concerned about how much he saw of Rebecca's murder if he awoke suddenly in a strangers arms he could and most likely would panic, because that's what she practically was. A stranger. This little boy had met her a grand total of three times and he either trusted her enough to make her his human pillow or was simply so scared, so exhausted that at the sight of a familiar face he'd instantly relaxed. She believed it were the latter.

Parker's bedroom door being smashed open interrupted the ghostly silence that smothered the room, it swung clean of its hinges. Splintering against the wall.

She barely had time to register that someone other than the three of them was alive and in the building before a pistol was cocked, aimed and fired in less than ten seconds.

Booth didn't even think all he saw was the black clad figure burst out of his son's bedroom and aim a gun at his son and co-worker. He was over the couch in less than a second, throwing himself in to the bullet's pathway, he fell the ground with a thud, hitting his head hard on the corner of an overturned armoire before he blacked out.

Temperance screamed as loud as she could as the figure disappeared as fast as he had appeared. Parker had woken at the sound of the shot and was staring wide eyed at the anthropologist; pleading for her to tell him what was going on.

* * *

Zack performed a perfect U-turn, his tires burning against the concrete as he put his foot down and they shot up the road and skidded to a halt outside Rebecca's apartment.

"Who's that?" Jack asked, pointing to a person dressed from head to toe in black leaving the house at a practically in human speed.

"Come on!" Angela exclaimed, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

Zack was way ahead of her, already running up the driveway to the open front door.

"Zack," Temperance whispered as he entered.

'Doctor Brennan - Agent Booth!' he exclaimed, staring in horror at the unconscious FBI Agent lying on the floor, the cream carpet beneath him rapidly turning red as his heart pumped more and more of the precious life fluid from his body.

That seemed to shake her out of the trance she'd entered "take him," she instructed, shoving Parker into the young man's arms. Zack took him without argument but held the child apprehensively, unsure of what exactly to do with him as Temperance fell to her knees beside Booth.

"Tempe!" Angela cried as he and Jack made it into the apartment. "Oh my god," she breathed, coming to stand next to Zack as he tried jogging the four-year-old up and down to calm him and get him to look away from his father but seeing as he could barely tear his eyes away he wasn't succeeding in keeping Parker's eyes un-scarred.

Jack knelt down next too Booth and automatically checked his pulse "it's weak but there," he reported.

Temperance gently rolled him onto his back, her own heart pounding in her ears as she saw that the bullet had penetrated the right side of his chest. She couldn't tell exactly where but judging by the staccato of his breathing it had indeed punctured a lung which meant that they needed to get him to a hospital and fast or he would end up drowning in his own blood.

"Angela call an ambulance," she said, throwing the other woman her cell phone as she tore of her jacket and pressed it against the wound, attempting to stem the blood flow.

Jack stood up and went into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a handful of towels.

Temperance practically snatched them off of him, folding one up and putting it underneath Booth's head, swallowing the lump in her throat as her hands came back covered in blood, she took another towel and pressed it to his temple, where he'd hit his head.

"They'll be here in five minutes," Angela reported, flipping the phone shut and clutching it tightly in her hands. She wanted to help, she really did but she couldn't get her feet to move, not forwards anyway

"Daddy," Parker said at first softly then a little louder before turning into an all out wail when he wasn't answered "Daddy!"

'Daddy's gonna be fine' Zack said, jiggling the boy a little bit more "okay?"

"Where's Rebecca?" Angela asked as Temperance changed her thin jacket to a thick blue towel as he jacket had fast been soaked through.

"Dead," Temperance replied matter-of-factly.

"D-dead?" Angela repeated.

"Yes," Temperance reiterated her first answer. "In the kitchen. Her clothes literally torn from her body, wire tying her wrists so tightly together the only reason you know it's there is because the ends are the only bit visible. Stabbed and hit over the head," she mentally cringed, she hadn't meant to snap at her friend, she really hadn't but…

The paramedics rushed in, a stretcher and medical kit carried between the two of them.

Jack immediately got to his feet and stepped back allowing the paramedics access to Booth.

"I'm Sydney Berwick and my partner Jonathon Fox." The paramedic with dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail said, kneeling next to Booth and taking a stethoscope out of her bag "how did this happen?" she said, listening swiftly to the Booth's heartbeat before examining the bullet hole in his chest.

When no one answered she looked at Temperance a moment as Jonathon took a large piece of gauze from the bag also and gently peeling the towel on his head away, before applying it, holding it down temporarily with tape and deftly fitting an oxygen mask to the agent's face.

"We… we came to get Parker and… the apartment was trashed…" Temperance trailed off, for the first time in her life at a loss for words.

"We saw someone leave the house," Angela piped up as Sydney and Jonathon lifted Booth on to the stretcher beside him, the towel on his chest being held down firmly in the process.

"There's another body through there," Jack pointed to the kitchen before folding his arms across his chest.

"A body?" Sydney froze in the process of picking up the stretcher and hurried over to the room that had been indicated. She opened the door and disappeared for a moment behind it seeing as she'd closed it behind her; not sure of how bad a condition the body would be in and how many people had seen it she did not want to take any chances. She returned and reported. "Young female women, dead. Approximate time of passing, forty minutes ago,"

"She was dead when they got here," Angela said, eyeing her best friend some what warily as she seemed to be a pasty white and looked ready to either keel over or throw up, or both.

Jonathon let go of Booth's stretcher with one hand as he and Sydney carried it down the driveway and took hold off his radio, tilting it towards his mouth. "Hello, there's a body in the kitchen of the location we've been sent too, could you send the coroner over straight away?"

A crackling reply came through as Booth was pushed into the back of the ambulance.

"One of you can come with us," Jonathon said "that's all we have room for,"

Angela, Jack and Zack all looked at Temperance "you go sweetie," Angela said softly, giving her a gently push "we'll take Parker and meet you at the hospital,"

Temperance nodded slowly, as if she wasn't completely in control of her own body. She'd retreated back into her trance like state when Sydney had asked what had happened. The truth was she didn't _know_ what had happened, one second she was standing in uncomfortable silence with Booth the next he's bleeding all over the floor. The bit in between had happened so fast that it all blurred together. She shot a look at Angela as she was pushed again and got into the back of the ambulance.

Sydney closed the doors and her and Jonathon got into the front and, sirens blaring, lights flashing, went as fast as they could down the road, disappearing into the night.

_/Peeks out of hiding place nervously/ the usual, review if ya like it, don't flame if you don't._


	2. Down for the Count

_Author's Notes: I don't know if Zack drives but for this he does, it was from a dream I had when I'd had sugar loaded coffee. Anything else that's slightly out remember the coffee!_

_Also I didn't review my own story, my sis reviewed it and forgot that it was logged in as me. Go figure._

Chapter 2: Down for the count

"Sweetie sit down," Angela said, shifting her hold on Parker whom had once again fallen asleep and was sat on her lap.

Temperance ignored her, pacing the waiting room nervously. They'd been there for hours now and as soon as they'd arrived she's been told to take a seat as Booth was rushed into theatre. She wasn't used to the waiting and the not knowing, she wanted to do something. It's what she did, she wasn't the sort of person to sit back and let fate take the wheel.

"Brennan come on, it's not helping is it? You're gonna wear a hole in the floor before this night's through," Jack closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall above the plastic seat he'd been sat on since his arrival.

"I'm gonna get coffee," Zack said "anyone else want one?" he got to his feet, his legs and back aching after so long sat down.

"Sure why not," Angela replied "Tempe?"

Temperance shook her head, she was wide-awake as possible at the moment. Her body may burn with fatigue but her mind was whirlwind of thoughts, trying desperately to slow down the memory to the point where she could pin point exactly what had gone wrong and what she could have done to stop it. The last thing she needed was to get high on caffeine.

She'd been stood there… waiting for him to say something… to take Parker? And then…

"I guess," Jack aid lazily, not opening his eyes.

Zack nodded and went off in search of a coffee machine as Angela lifted Parker gently and put him in the seat next to her, draping her jacket over him before she got up

"Tempe," she said.

Temperance turned her head sharply and stood still "what?"

"He'll be fine" it was as if she could read her mind, knowing exactly what was going through her head, admittedly it was probably going through everyone else's head as well, but still.

"I don't even know what happened, well yeah I do but… Ange he took the shot for us, it was meant to be me or Parker, I didn't even move, I didn't turn away, I didn't shield Parker with my own body, nothing and he took the shot-"

"You were holding his son what did you expect him to do?" Jack said.

Angela scowled at him; his insensitive and harsh truths were not appropriate right now. She turned back to Temperance.

"It was different Ange, I don't know, it felt like he was prepared to die not only for Parker but for me too,"

"You were holding his kid,"

"Shut up Jack. I'm sure it did Tempe,"

"I'm serious it was… he didn't call out like I'd expect him to, he didn't tell me to get down or to move or even yell the clichéd 'no' he just jumped,"

Angela surveyed the anthropologist through saddened eyes, the normally so self confident, feet on the ground Temperance had been replaced by a nervous, unsure version, one who had her arms wrapped round her own body in a half-self-hug as if she were drawing comfort from it.

Zack came back through, holding three polystyrene cups of coffee, passing one to Jack he gave the other to Angela and sipped his own, standing up also "anything?" he asked, mentally wincing at how stupid a question that was.

"You think we'd still be stood here if someone had told us what had happened?" Temperance snapped at him, going to stand by the rack full of leaflets and brochures advertising life insurance policies and the usual variety of different numbers to call in order to stop smoking. She palms on the wall above her hand and leant forwards, sighing in frustration.

Zack looked momentarily taken aback although he quickly covered it by looking back down at his coffee, swirling it around, watching the yet-to-be-dissolved coffee granules swill around the top.

"She didn't mean to snap honey," Angela assured him, eyeing Temperance sadly.

"How long does it take?" Zack said, his voice laced with both fear and frustration.

"I don't- Doctor?" Angela cut herself off and addressed the balding man approaching them, pulling off surgical gloves as he did so.

Upon hearing the title Temperance turned round, gracing the surgeon with a steely look, un caring at the look on her face, the one allowing everyone in the vicinity to see how worried she was, how scared.

"I'm Doctor Adams. Are you Seeley's family?"

Jack got to his feet; suddenly interested as Angela responded "no, we're his…" she glanced at Jack and Zack who shrugged "friends, we with him when he got hurt. His son is there," she pointed to Parker half hidden under her jacket.

"I see, what about you miss?" Dr Adams turned to Temperance "you family?"

"No-"

"Yes, I'm… I'm his sister," Temperance replied firmly, cutting Jack off and giving him a frosty look "is he okay? What's wrong?" stupid question to ask but best to play the concerned family member anyway.

"Can they…" he gestured to his patient's 'friends'

Temperance nodded, she was loosing it fast, she just wanted to know if he was going to be okay, stupid hospital regulations "what's wrong? Is he alive?" please say he's alive, please, please he can't be dead.

"We managed to retrieve the bullet which had imbedded itself in the soft tissue of his lower right lung, not causing enough damage to mean that the lung would struggle to heal itself but enough for that lung to temporarily be unable to function itself at the moment. He lost a dangerous amount of blood, mere seconds later and we wouldn't have been able to save him,"

"So he's alive?" Temperance asked, trying to convince herself, and failing, that her worry was for Parker, not for herself, the fear was for Parker, everything. None of it was for her.

"In a word," Doctor Adams said gravely. "He's on life support,"

They froze.

Uncomfortable with the silence Dr Adams felt he owed them an explanation. "We don't know how much damage to blow to his head has done to his brain, splinters of wood were found embedded rather deep into the wound on his temple and as he's comatose we can't run any more tests,"

"So… so what now? I mean you can do something right?" Jack tried to remain passive and unfeeling but he was seriously struggling. Agent Booth was on _life support_. He was in a_ coma_.

Doctor Adams shrugged "all we can do is wait, there's nothing more we can do. Miss…" he trailed off making it a question.

"Doctor Brennan," she supplied "Temperance, you call me Temperance," at his look of confusion at her surname she added "different father," hastily, ignoring the nostalgia twist of pain in her gut at the thought of her parents.

Angela stared at her; Temperance had just claimed to be _Booth's sister_? That was something she'd never dreamt she'd hear.

"Very well Temperance," Dr Adams said "I'm sorry I can't give you better news,"

"Can I- can I see him?" She asked quietly "can we all?"

"_You_ may. The others can't, not until tomorrow at the earliest,"

Temperance nodded and avoiding looking at her colleagues followed Doctor Adams down to a recovery room.

"I'll leave you alone with your brother, any other family you want me to contact?" he asked empathetically.

"No, I'll- I'll do it later," she said, trying to be polite but secretly wishing he would hurry up and go away.

Doctor Adams nodded and hurried down the hall, checking his pager on the way.

She stood in the doorway of the room she'd been led to and swallowed nervously as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Booth was lying on his back in the bed, the sheets pulled up to his waist and his arms lay by his sides. He wore a pale blue hospital gown, she couldn't see it but knew that obviously there would be bandaging across his chest. There was a dressing no his temple and tubes from his nose and mouth led to a ventilator on the side of the bed.

Tears pricked at her eyes, he looked so peaceful, like he was asleep, except it didn't look like he were in a comfortable enough position for him to be asleep.

She bit the tears back and moving silently sat in the chair by the bed, glancing at the bedside table which held a clock and a plastic bag of all Booth's personal belong. His watch, his car keys, his wallet, his badge, and any other miscellaneous items he'd been carrying, a pack of chewing gum, sunglasses, and for some reason a small toy car, which at a guess belonged to Parker.

Idly she wondered where his gun had gone but not for long, they probably kept it or sent it back to the Jeffersonian, she didn't know and right now didn't care.

She opened her mouth to say something, anything but what could she say? Sorry you got shot? Please wake up? Who do you want to look after Parker? You stupid bastard you could have died? None of them seemed right, especially considering he wasn't going to reply.

She settled for taking his hand that wasn't attached to an IV and running her thumb across the back of it, her thoughts swimming as she watched the slightly exaggerated rise and fall of his chest due to the machine breathing for him. He looked almost vulnerable, far from the sarcastic, kick ass hard working cop that she worked with every day; verbally sparred with in almost every minute she was with him.

The soft beeping that indicated the beating of his heart was soothing, calming her frayed nerves better than anything else could, than any amount of coffee or hugs from Angela could. She wasn't sure how long she sat there before there was a knock at the door; she turned her head, not releasing Booth's hand as she did so.

"Heya," Angela whispered, Parker once more in her arms but this time awake although drowsy "he wanted to see his daddy,"

"Oh, yeah," she gestured for them to come over.

"What's wrong with daddy?" Parker asked innocently, peering at Temperance with pure childlike naivety.

Temperance swallowed and looked back at Booth's face, she was not going to cry she had no need to. She'd seen people get shot before, yeah she got angry, and upset, screamed maybe but not to this day cried the way she wanted, she'd never sobbed her eyes out because someone got shot. Admittedly the people she saw get shot were the bad guys, once, she thought, someone Booth was trying to arrest shot a civilian in an attempt to escape, but she never imagined she'd feel so… lost? Emotional? Like she was falling to pieces if something like this ever happened to Booth?

"He's sick," Angela said, this whole situation was surreal, Booth was… the only reason he was still alive was because he was attached to a machine, everything his body usually did on it's own was controlled by a machine, by wires and electricity, sparks and plastic 'he's hurt' she amended.

"Can he wake up?" he looked from Temperance to Angela.

"Not at the moment sweetie no," the artist said sorrowfully.

As if he only just noticed it he stared at the dressing on his father's head "mommy," he whispered "strange man and mommy,"

Temperance turned suddenly "what strange man?"

"The man in black. Mommy wouldn't let him in so he banged at the door really hard and then he smashed things. Lots of things. Mommy got mad and shouted at him," his bottom lip was trembling and his eyes filled with salty tears.

"What happened then Parker?" Angela crouched down in front of him.

"She told me to go and hide," he said "there was banging and shouting and screaming, lots and lots of screaming then it stopped. Where's mommy?" he asked, tears creating velvety patterns down his cheeks "I want mommy,"

Angela looked at Temperance "mommy's had to go away,"

"Go where? I want her. She screamed and she cried lots. When is she coming back?"

"She's not coming back," Angela felt tears of her own falling now. How do you explain to a little boy that his entire life has just been destroyed? That his mom had been murdered, his father was in a coma and social services would be after him within the next twelve hours and he would be a foster home before he even knew what was happening? It wasn't something you did. It was something you were supposed to do "she can't,"

Parker let out a little sob "strange man was bad wasn't he? He did bad things to mommy,"

Temperance ran a hand through his curly hair "he was bad yes,"

"Where she go?" he asked wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve.

"Heaven," Angela said instantly, pulling a tissue out of her handbag and wiping his eyes for him. She had to tell him something and the one thing all little kids believed in? The big happy kingdom in the sky.

Parker clambered into Temperance's lap without a word's warning, curling up against her chest and watching his father's unconscious form "is heaven a nice place?" he asked oblivious to Temperance's look of surprise and discomfort that she was shooting at Angela.

Temperance did not approve of lying to the child, it was morally wrong and would only cause problems later but Booth believed in heaven and therefore what right did she have to destroy the boy's believes undoubtedly told to him by his doting father?

"Yes," Zack said from his position in the doorway, going along with the charade.

"What? You guys aren't supposed to be here," Temperance said finally able to form a coherent sentence.

"Neither are you," Jack said shutting the door behind him.

She frowned at him "I'm-"

"Not his sister?" He supplied.

"Lying?" Zack raised his eyebrows at her.

"How else was I supposed to get given a diagnosis?" She snapped. She wanted them out, all of them, Angela, Zack, Jack even Parker, she wanted some time alone. She needed it.

"You like him," Angela smiled, either forgetting now wasn't the time or simply trying to lighten the mood.

"I-"

"As in _like,_ like," she grinned at the flustered look on her face.

Temperance gave her a serious look "I did what I had to do. Is that so wrong?"

"If you're caught yes," Zack answered matter-of-factly sipping his coffee. "Lying is the route of all evil,"

"I thought that was money," Jack turned to his co-worker.

The bickering soon stopped when Parker spoke again "if heaven is a nice place and I want. She'll be able to come back won't she?"

"No sweetie, it's not like that," Angela felt her heart breaking at the underlying pleas in the child's voice, four-year-olds weren't supposed to know about death, and murder, killers, comas.

They had a simple black and white view on the world, no grey to blur the line; you were either a good guy or a bad guy. You couldn't change about or be both, it just didn't work that way. The good guys win, they always won, the bad guys went to prison and the good guys lived.

Being a child is often so much simpler than being an adult when the once obvious boundaries can be crossed without a second thought.

"There's only a one way ticket to heaven kid," Jack chipped in, glancing around the room, skimming over the white walls and ceiling.

Angela shot him an angry look. He wasn't subtle, he didn't let you down gently and he most certainly was the worst possible person to try and explain to Parker the situation.

Surprisingly Temperance had remained quiet throughout their conversation about the afterlife, and so when she opened her mouth Angela found herself holding her breath hoping that she wasn't about to make the semi-fatal decision to tell the boy the truth. She closed it again as if she decided that she didn't want to speak.

"Why?" Parker looked to Jack.

"You're mom's dead. There's no coming back from that,"

"What's dead?" he asked tearfully.

Angela got up and whacked Jack over the head with her purse.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You stupid-"

"It means that the bad man hurt her and it got really sore and the only way for her to stop it from hurting even more was for her to go to heaven," Zack crouched by Temperance looking Parker in the eye.

"I saw her though," he said "on the floor. She was covered in red and clothes were all ripped. She can't have gone to heaven. She was there," his tears were falling faster now. He wanted his mommy. Daddy was great but he was asleep and had funny tubes attached to him. He knew these people worked with daddy but they were strange and the one that had said mommy was dead, whatever that meant, was sort of scary, and very mean.

He liked Bones though. Daddy liked Bones, her perfume smelled nice and she was gentle, she seemed to go very still when he hugged her though. The lady with black hair was nice too; her perfume was too strong though.

A stunned silence filled the room. Parker had seen his mother's body. Booth had been sickened by that what on earth must it have done to Parker? But, Angela thought sadly, he probably didn't even know what he'd seen. That was the one good thing, he was too young to realise exactly what had happened.

"When you go to heaven your body stays behind. Your… ghost? Goes up there," Angela said, shrugging when Temperance gave her a strange look at the word ghost, how else was she supposed to explain it to him?

"Oh," he said sadly "has daddy gone to heaven?"

"What?" Temperance asked, a little too loudly so she startled him "no!"

"His body's there though and he got covered in red after the bang," this was getting confusing. You went to heaven when you got badly hurt but you didn't take your body, how do you go anywhere without your body? And weren't ghosts sheets with eyes? And they were mean to people, scaring them. Mommy wasn't a sheet. And she wasn't scary.

"He wasn't as badly hurt as your mom," Jack said, and after a warning glance from Angela he decided to choose his words carefully "he's asleep,"

"Will he wake up?" he cocked his head to one side.

"Yes," Temperance said adamantly "he will. He's just really tired at the moment,"

They looked at her sharply "you can't go promising things like that Bren' Angela said 'we don't know if he-"

"He will," she said firmly "he will wake up,"

"When?" Parker asked, looking up at her.

"When he's not tired any more,"

"Will he wake up if I tell him too?"

"Why don't we try that tomorrow?" Angela said, "it's nearly two in the morning. You must be really tied,"

"Where do I go? I can't go home if mommy's gone on vacation and I can't go with daddy if daddy is asleep,"

"You can come with me," Angela offered as Temperance stood up, Parker in her arms.

"No," Temperance said, shifting his weight from one arm to the other "I've got him,"

"You sure? I mean-"

"I've got him,"

"All I'm saying is that you're not really a kid-loving person, you…" Angela trailed off.

"What she's saying is you're not capable of looking after a small child who's almost guaranteed to have nightmare's tonight and every night for the rest of his life. You're place isn't exactly a child's haven is it?" Jack said, wanting to hurry this whole thing along, he'd already missed the movie he wanted to watch and he, along with the rest of the team, were going to be questioned in the morning about what happened he want at _least_ four hours sleep.

"Why don't we ask him?" Jack gestured to Parker who was holding onto Temperance tightly, his tiny fingers tangling themselves in her hair. "Bones" he answered "like Bones," he wanted to go somewhere safe, he was so tired and every time he tried to sleep he woke up somewhere new with someone different and Bones was safe. Daddy talked about Bones a lot, he said she was nice and safe and pretty, although she didn't hug people much. Parker decided he wanted to try and change that. She would be even nicer if she hugged people more.

"It's settled then," Temperance said, trying to hide that she hadn't actually thought the idea of having Parker for the night over before she'd suggested it, or rather stated it. Although it couldn't be that hard could it? She could solve murder cases so caring for a kid for a night would be easy in comparison. Right?

_Ain't Parker the cutest thing? Lol._

_Thanks for all your reviews, I've never gotten that many that quick so I tried really hard to get this written, even if technically I should be doing my maths homework… so please do continue to review. XD_


	3. Sleeping Beauty

_Author's Notes: This chapter is kinda jumpy because it's mostly Parker's first night at Brennan's and stuff, it's cute, sweet, and at times sad as well I guess._

_I also know that the book she reads to him may not be exactly the kind of thing you'd expect a boy to want read to him but it's storyline fits with the things around it._

Chapter 3: Sleeping Beauty

"Zack I need you to clean these bones for me," Temperance instructed, taking off her gloves and giving the skeleton of the thirty-two year old man a once over with her eyes as Zack came to do as he was bid.

When a new body was brought in she always felt a pang of sympathy in her stomach that's why she worked herself so hard to find out who was responsible. Finding the missing pieces to the puzzle and fitting them back together could at times be exhilarating as there was nothing else they could do for the victim except bring their murderer to justice and by doing so bring them back to life by recreating the way they went down. Allowing them to rest in peace.

"Heya!" Angela bounced over, grinning broadly and her eyes sparkling "guess what I did last night?"

"What?" Temperance humoured her friend biting her tongue to answer correctly with the words 'I met a guy' as the answer nearly always was.

"I met a guy,"

Temperance smiled to herself although pretended it to be in congratulations to her friend rather than in amusement at her friend's expense.

"He's great, we met at this club I went to and he offered to by me a drink we talked and he's picking me up tonight at seven for dinner. He has a friend too who seemed very interested in hearing about you. You should meet him"

Temperance shook her head "thanks Ange, but no thanks, I'm busy tonight,"

"Another time then?" she asked hopefully.

Knowing that if she gave an outright no then she would be begged and pleaded at for days she settled with an "I'll think about it," instead.

"Great," Angela said, hurrying off.

She glanced to one side and frowned in confusion, why was that man wearing a balaclava? Inside? And what was that he was pointing at her… a "gun!" she cried out in panic.

"What?" Jack looked up from examining something that Zack had given to him.

Temperance looked back to where the man had been standing but he was gone, she shook her head, she probably needed a drink or something. Just as she was leaving to get a bottle of water Zack called her back.

"Doctor Brennan, look at this,"

She turned and went back to him, pulling a new pair of gloves on as she looked at what he was pointing. The man's ribs had several cracks in the bone, precise as if someone had done it by holding the bone with their bare hands and applying pressure with their fingers until they snapped.

"Bones," Booth said, walking into the lab.

She ignored him and ran her finger over the cracks and checking the other ribs for any other injuries. Intrigued to find that every rib had been broken, but like brickwork it was done in a pattern, every other rib had been broken in exactly the same places and so was the pattern.

"Bones," he said again "Bones,"

Still she ignored him "finishing cleaning these, we'll examine him more when you're done,"

"Bones… Bones… Bones…" someone was calling her only their voice was higher than Booth's, like a small child's…

* * *

"… Bones!" Parker shook her shoulder harder.

"Parker?" She mumbled, blinking sleepily.

She'd given Parker her bed and taken the couch. She sat up slowly, the comforter pooling in her lap "what's the matter?"

"I'm thirsty," he said "can I have a drink?"

"Oh… um… sure, what d'ya want?" she brushed her sleep mussed hair back out of her face and yawned slightly.

"Warm milk please," he smiled at her then followed her to the kitchen, dragging a toy bear behind him.

Temperance had taken Booth's keys to his place and taken a few of Parker's things back to her place with them although there wasn't much so she would have to go back to Rebecca's and get anything else he needed. He wouldn't be staying for long though, Booth would be awake soon.

He hopped up onto a chair as she poured some milk from the carton into a mug and put it in the microwave.

"Are you okay?" he asked after the microwave had beeped signifying that the milk was warmed.

"I'm fine, is there anything in particular you want when I go back to your place tomorrow?" she said, placing the mug in front of him.

He shook his head "no," he said, gulping half the drink down in one.

She nodded and tried to mentally go over the list she'd made up earlier of anything she would have to get, clothes, shoes, toys, nothing much though because of course Booth would be awake soon wouldn't he?

"You look sad," he said, putting the now empty mug down "why are you sad?"

She gave him a fake smile and passed him a cloth to wipe away the milk 'moustache' he'd obtained. "I'm not sad, just tired,"

"We'll see daddy tomorrow and I'll tell him to wake up then you can hug him like you hug me and kiss him and mommy's in a happy place-"

"Kiss him?" she said, surprised at the boy's directness "why would I kiss him?"

'Because you like him and you're sad because he's asleep," the boy replied matter–of–factly.

"I don't want to kiss him though,"

"He wants you too," Parker said firmly.

"How do you know?" she challenged, her voice getting a little higher.

"He told me. We was watching a DVD and I asked him if he wanted to smush his lips with yours like the prince and the sad girl did when they kept smushin' their lips together and he said yes,"

"He said that?" she was incredulous, what on earth had Booth been telling this child?"

"He nodded his head and then said not to tell you or anyone ever'

"Then why are you telling me,"

"Because you looked sad and now you look happier now I told you," he said, she was nice and she was pretty daddy was right about that but he wasn't so sure about what kind of smart she was if he had to tell her this many times.

"I think it's time we got back to bed," she said, desperate to change the subject "you're okay now right?"

He nodded his head "'night Bones!" he called, scampering back into her bedroom across the bed and diving beneath the duvet.

She sighed and went back to the couch.

* * *

"Bones," came a voice "Bones!" it sing-songed.

Temperance's eyes flickered open and she jumped when she saw Parker leaning over her "what's the matter?" she said, not yet sitting up, she reached over to the coffee table for her watch 3:45AM barely half an hour since she'd last been awoken.

"I can't get to sleep," he said softly "will you read me a story? Mommy does and so does Daddy,"

"Uh… yeah I suppose," she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and forced herself to get off the bed, pulling her dressing gown on as she followed him to her bedroom. "What do you want me to read?" she sat on the edge of the bed, one leg underneath her the other on the floor.

He pulled one of the set of fairytale books they'd manage to find on Booth's bookshelf that was suitable for him and handed it too her.

Temperance swallowed as he crawled back into bed, the book was _Sleeping Beauty, _had Parker not been so young she would have thought he'd picked the book on purpose but all the same she opened it and began. "Once upon a time there was a King and a Queen who were as happy as they could possibly be, one day the Queen had a baby girl which they called…"

"… The King and the Queen were dreadfully upset about what the evil witch had done and so they…"

"… The fairies changed the spell that the evil witch had cast so that instead of dying the princess would fall asleep and wake up to true loves first kiss…"

"… The witch tricked the princess into following her up into the highest tower in the castle where there was a spinning wheel…"

"… The princess pricked her finger on the very end and immediately fell into a deep sleep…"

"… Many handsome princes tried to wake up the princess but it didn't work but on the first day of the hundred and first year one special prince came…"

"… And they all lived happily ever after,"

Temperance closed the book and looked at Parker who whispered sleepily "you should try kissing daddy," before his eyes flickered closed and slumber took him.

She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. He just didn't understand and she didn't know how to make him. Kisses and hugs, pleading, begging, shouting, asking, none of it would work, only time. And time is exactly what they didn't have.

Without Booth the fight for custody of Parker would be on, and anyway did she really want custody of a little boy? In a way she did but just not in the practical way. With her he was ensured that he would be as happy as it was in her power to make him, he would go to a good school, get a good education, he would be spoiled rotten by Angela and Zack… wait why was she planning like this? Booth would be awake very soon, it would be his responsibility not hers, they could go back to living their normal lives.

Blinking back the tears that were rushing to her eyes that she was immediately disregarding as anything _but_ tears she silently got off the bed and went back to the couch, hoping to get at least three more hours sleep.

* * *

Temperance groaned and rolled onto her back, careful to ensure that she didn't roll off the couch and put her pillow over her face trying to block the noise out.

It didn't work.

She threw the pillow to her feet and opened her eyes, glowering at the ceiling, what on earth was that noise, it sounded like –

"Parker," she called, trying to keep her anger and being woken up yet again from her voice.

The noise just got louder.

Sighing she pushed the blanket away and got to her feet, tentatively following the noise into the… bathroom.

She froze, everything flooding back with such force she had to hold onto the doorjamb for support. It was coming back like buckets of icy water were being hurled at her.

She was stood by the couch, Parker asleep in her arms.

The door to the boy's room was flung open.

Gunshot.

Booth vaulting the couch.

A thud as Booth hit the floor and the bullet entered.

Rebecca. Parker. Booth. Bullet.

Waves of nausea washed over as she remembered it all with a rush, causing her to go violently dizzy which didn't exactly smother the need to vomit if anything it doubled it.

Parker was curled up in the corner exactly like before. "Mommy, want m-mommy… mommy doesn't come, the… man c-came an' she screamed and there was red now… now she's gone and it hurts and she hurt an' … need mommy… need mommy… need mommy!" The child was hysterical the sobs tearing at his chest to the point he could barely breath and stammering out words made it worse but he couldn't stop because… because he needed her and it hurt and she could make it better.

Temperance made to approach him but that simple movement made the searing pain of dizziness worse and her stomach convulsed, staggering to the toilet she threw up.

Why was it affecting her so? She'd seen bodies with their flesh hanging from their bones, peeled the remains of it away in cases, worn the flesh of someone's hand like a glove in order to get finger prints and her stomach was yet to protest. But now… it had to be… what could it be? She had no idea but the room was slowly coming back into focus and was now longer swaying as badly as before. Parker was the priority.

Unable to actually bring herself to stand just yet she crawled over to him. "Parker," she whispered "Parker come on,"

"Daddy's sleeping… won't w-wake up… needs… needs a kiss… makes it b-better…"

She had no idea what to do, children were one thing but hysterical ones? They were a different matter. Her mind protesting but her instincts screaming at her she picked him up and using her free arm and the sink pulled herself to her feet and stood still for a second before going through to her room.

"I want my m-mommy," he wailed, clutching at her shirt desperately as she sat on the bed.

"What happened Parker?" she asked gently, trying to ignore the churning in her gut and comfort the boy.

He sobbed into her chest for a few minutes before he managed to articulate an answer "went to bathroom, 'membered,"

"Oh," she breathed, what was she supposed to answer that with?

"Will you kiss daddy tomorrow and wake him up?" he asked suddenly, the tears drying almost instantly.

"I don't think-"

"It worked in the book why not now?"

"Because your dad isn't asleep because of magic,"

"Try," he said firmly.

"Parker, it wouldn't work, I'm sorry,"

He buried his face back into her chest and the crying began again "jus' want daddy awake and mommy back. Please make her come back. Please,"

Temperance was silent. She wasn't going to answer and shatter him any more than he already was because it would be so very wrong to lie to him, lead him on and say she would try. Besides, chances were he didn't even want an answer so she remained silent and let him cry himself to sleep before she too joined him in fitful slumber.

_Sorry that chapter's shorter than the last two but that was the hardest chapter to write so far and hopefully the hardest in the whole fik. The scene in the bathroom might be a little strange but I had to do that, they were gonna go into shock eventually and I figured then would be the best time to do it._

_Oh and also, should Parker be in school? Do you want Parker's fifth birthday at some point whilst Booth's in the coma?_


	4. One Stop Elevator

_Author's Notes: Have any of you read the Bones books? I'm reading one at the moment – Cross Bones (im on about chapter 3) and Mom's bought another three of them that I'm gonna read when I finished this one (and after she's read them.) You should read them if you haven't, they are very different from the show but very, very good! Kathy Reichs is a superb writer! XD_

Chapter 4: One Stop Elevator

Temperance groaned and shifted slightly, her eyes snapped open when she felt a weight against her chest and she looked down.

"Parker?" she said to herself, what was-oh yeah.

She contemplated on how best to wake him up but was interrupted by her cell phone ringing, its seemingly harsh tunes breaking through the morning silence.

"Hello," she answered trying not to sound as groggy as she felt "Brennan,"

"Tempe! Thank God! You okay?" Angela's concerned voice came through, panicky and breathless.

"I'm fine Ange, what's wrong?" Temperance unsuccessfully tried to sit herself more comfortably against the headboard, absently stroking the curls atop Parker's head as he slumbered soundly against her body.

"I called you three times already!"

Temperance frowned, she had? "You did?"

"Yeah I did, how's Parker? Is he okay? Nothing's happened right?"

"Ange relax, we're fine,"

"Then why didn't you answer? Where are you?"

What was she panicking for? It was only–three hours since she was supposed to be at work!

"I must have slept through my alarm,"

"Why? You never do,"

"Well last night was a bit hectic for all of us' she said shortly, not really wanting to discuss her and Parker's little… in the bathroom earlier that morning, she'd much prefer to keep it to herself. It was private and unimportant, bound to happen eventually she just wished it had been… under more controlled circumstances, although, she mused, it was better it had been like it was rather than worse…

"So you coming in? We'd all understand,"

"Ange, he's your friend too. If you can go in then I can too,"

"Yeah but he's your," she paused for a effect "_special_ friend,"

"No he's not," she replied indignantly "he's a colleague, someone I work with nothing more," she swallowed… Rebecca, blood, gun, bullet, Booth. The images came before he eyes like flashcards. Life support, coma, kiss. "We'll be there soon," she ended the call and replaced her cell on the bedside table.

It was easier just to pretend, just to not remember what she felt, how it burned worse than fire, froze more than ice, made her want to scream and cry, rant and rage, do everything and nothing, break and fix.

"Mommy?" Parker shifted wearily, rubbing his eyes he sat up and blinked at her "Bones?" he frowned a moment in confusion then it slid from his face in remembrance "Bones," he repeated.

She smiled at him, a smile that did not quite reach her eyes but enough to fool the boy "I've got to go to work," she said.

"You work with daddy. Is daddy gonna be there?"

The smile faltered "he's still asleep,"

"How'd you know?" he cocked his head to one side, a childlike display of complete confusion. Daddy was asleep yesterday; he went to sleep even earlier than he did! The thought made him swell with pride momentarily–he'd stayed up later than daddy had!

"Angela just called me," she said, "she told me,"

"I want him to wake up," he stated softly, "want to play games with him and watch TV and all the fun stuff he usually does,"

"I know you do Parker," she pushed him off and slipped out of bed and went over to her closet where she pulled out an outfit "so do I," she pushed the tears that threatened back, what was the matter with her? She hadn't cried this much in years, or felt so emotionally wounded that she felt she wanted to scream with the injustice of the agony of it all.

"Everything's gonna be fine," she wasn't sure whether she said that for her comfort or his but either way she went into the bathroom, closed her eyes against the rush of memories hit her once more and set about getting ready for work.

How can everything be fine? Parker thought. Mommy's gone to heaven and daddy's fast asleep, he wanted to cry but he remembered when he had before that Bones hadn't liked it much, she hugged him yeah, like mommy and daddy did but she seemed all weird about it, but he liked hugs from her. Would she hug him if he asked her too? Should he cry so that she would or should he just hug her himself? That's it, she'd hug back then, when he hugged mommy she always hugged him back. Well that was before she went on vacation.

He crawled off the bed and over to the backpack half full of things that Bones had gotten from daddy's house last night. He was going to help!

Temperance ran the brush through her hair one last time, surveyed herself in the mirror, sighing defeatedly to the fact that she did indeed look exhausted and there was nothing she could do about it. She picked up her pyjamas and went back to the bedroom and couldn't help but grin back at the boy who was standing there. His T-shirt inside out and tucked into his jeans which he seemed to have gotten right and his sneakers on the wrong feet.

She put her pyjamas on the bed and went and crouched in front of Parker.

"Helped Bones," he said "breakfast now?"

Temperance chuckled slightly "come on, I think you got a bit muddled," she smiled at him in an encouraging way after all she wasn't sure how he reacted to being told he'd done something he'd obviously tried to do by himself wrong.

"Feet hurt a bit," he agreed as she pulled the shirt over his head again and tucked it in for him "always get 'fused with shoes,"

"Sit down," she said, raising an eyebrow when he simply sat down right there on the floor rather than going to a seat or the bed. "Look," she took the footwear off and holding them up to him," you see it goes in a bit in the middle here' she pointed to the inside of the sole. "Well that bit goes here, see?" she ran a finger down the side of his foot, showing him that the shoe was supposed to be the same shape as his feet.

He giggled at her touch and it took her a moment to realise it was because she'd touched his feet, experimentally she did it again and once more he laughed in response.

"Ticklish?" she teased.

He nodded, too young and feeling to safe with the woman to realise that he'd just told her something that she could use against him, he shrieked with laughter though when her fingers danced over his stomach and he fell back onto the floor, kicking and writhing under her onslaught.

His laughter appeared to be infectious as she too started to laugh softly, shortly after that she stopped, noticing he was panting for breath.

* * *

Temperance leaned in close to the remains that had come in over lunch, her forehead creased in a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked, hovering slightly having not been told to do anything as of yet.

She looked up "the spinal cord has been snapped in three places, half her hair literally torn from her skull and-"

"What's that?" Zack stepped forward and pointed into the nineteen-year-old woman's mouth. Her two year old daughter had been murdered also but her body had not only been burned like her mothers but her bones had been crushed to powder by some sort of heavy object, the only way to identify the child was through her mother.

Unless of course they wanted to start trying to identify her though the almost microscopic remains.

As unorthodox as it seemed they didn't want to take any more time over this than necessary, if she could be identified from the more discernible remains of her mother then it would mean that they would find the murderer a lot faster. And time was the one thing they were running out off.

Temperance gently eased the object from between the victim's teeth 'it's a note' she said slowly.

"It must have been put in after the fire," Zack surmised, silencing when he caught the already-knew-that look from his superior.

"You mean he not only killed her but watched her burn as well?" Angela stared at the skeleton in horror struck empathy.

"And crushed her daughter," Jack added in casually, crossing his arms and leaning against something nearby.

'You need something Ange?' Temperance peered closely at the tiny piece of paper and began to unfold it. It was as thin as tracing paper and incredibly hard to open without tearing it.

"I've finished the sketch," she said, holding up the notepad that she held clutched to her chest "and run it through the computer. Melissa Pacroft is the one that seems to fit best but you'll need to check," she sounded a little off put when she realised that her intended audience had just sighed exasperatedly and put the note on the table, paying little or no notice to a word she'd just said.

"What is it?" Jack straightened up.

"Catch me if you can," Temperance sighed, tearing off the latex gloves and throwing them in the waste disposal before turning her back. "This is taking to long!" she exclaimed "we should have caught him by now" she turned back to her colleagues "why is he so much better than us this time?"

"He's not," Jack said "no one who does this is better than us," his voice firm "we just need too-"

"Right," Temperance said, her composure back in place "Zack, get this under the microscope, find out if there's any traces of DNA on there, find out what pen was used. Hodgins, help him. Angela, let's go look at this-Parker?"

"Hello Bones," he grinned at her, she shot a worried glance over at the body on the table and was mildly relieved to find that Jack and Zack had shown the initiative were stood in front of the gurney, shielding it from no-longer-so-innocent-eyes.

"What're you doing in here Parker? I thought I told you to stay in Angela's office," she crouched down to his level.

"She left. Got bored. Wanted to see what you were doing," he shrugged the smile still in place.

"Why don't we go back there now?" Angela said, "I've got to show Tempe some of the pictures that we were looking at,"

He shook his head and wandered over to the table, bypassing its guards completely and walking round the back.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, wide eyed.

Everyone whirled round, breathy sighs of relief being let loose when the realised he wasn't looking at the body, his back was too it but was looking at the jars on the side that held any organs they had managed to salvage.

"Is that a brain?" he exclaimed, wonder seemingly radiating from him, pointing at something that was practically unidentifiable to anyone who wasn't trained in the profession but was most definitely not a brain. That organ had been beyond rescue due to the fact it now painted the walls of the room the victim had been found in.

Temperance didn't know whether to laugh at the boy's excitement at the sight of human insides or be horrified. She settled for attempting to distract him "come on, you shouldn't be in here,"

He ignored her and went on exploring, approaching another gurney with a sheet half covering what was on it.

This particular skeleton was perfectly clean. The remains of a fifteenth century man who had been buried some fifty miles from the Jeffersonian. It's identity having being found it was waiting to be shipped out to another burial site as a children's playground wasn't the best place to put him back.

Parker reached up and took a hold of the skull, running his little hands over the smooth cream surface of the skull with awe.

"Parker!" Temperance exclaimed, "put that down!"

He obeyed, sort of anyway by putting it on the floor at his feet, but just as Temperance came over to rescue it he kicked it, hard enough for it to roll a few feet but not enough to fracture it.

He giggled and followed it, kicking it again when she came to pick it up once more.

"Parker!" she said, her voice rising slightly "that isn't a toy," _it's someone's head! _Of course she didn't say that last bit because she would have had to answer the questions that would undoubtedly come flying forth.

He cocked his head to one side and didn't move for a moment. Allowing his guardian to think she'd won before he bolted, the makeshift ball forgotten he ducked down and ran underneath the gurney that was still being guarded by Zack and Jack, the body on top had thankfully had a sheet thrown over it.

"Stop running Parker, this isn't a playground," how could she be so stupid to bring a child to a place like this? He'll be used to having someone's undivided attention all the time, especially on a Saturday afternoon when he'll be at the park or with a friend or with Booth. She thought sadly.

He shouldn't be here now, he should be at home with Booth, playing soccer or football or whatever her colleague and his son did together. Dammit! Why did she keep thinking of the way things _should_ be?

Rebecca's murderer _should_ be behind bars.

Rebecca _should_ be alive.

Booth _should _be awake.

Parker _should_ be at home.

Life _should _be perfect.

Parker laughing as he was nearly caught by Zack and dodged behind a cabinet just in time jerked her out of her reverie.

"What's going on in here? Doctor Goodman came down the steps and looked around, raising an eyebrow at Zack who was sprawled defeatedly on the tiled floor before allowing his gaze to slide up to Jack who crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Doctor Goodman!" Zack cried, scrambling to his feet "catch him!"

Doctor Goodman looked down just in time to see Parker shoot past him, Temperance on his heels.

"What on earth is going on in here? Why's Parker here? Shouldn't Agent Booth be with him?"

"You haven't told him"' Jack looked at Angela who stepped back, swallowing nervously.

"I haven't seen him until now and I would have thought the hospital would have called or you would have told them," she said, "_someone_ should have told him,"

"Told me what?" Goodman looked at Zack as he straightened his lab coat and tried to look a least a little more professional than he had a moment ago.

"Booth's in a coma," Jack said shortly.

* * *

Temperance skidded to a halt as the elevator doors closed with Parker inside. How was one little boy faster than she was? She paused a moment to catch her breath then her eyes widened. That elevator only led to one place…

She shot towards the stairs, ignoring the strange looks she as getting from passers by as they ascended them, she had to beat him down there. He could not get in there, he just couldn't.

Parker looked up, he hadn't pressed the button because he couldn't reach it so someone had probably pressed it at the other end.

He liked this game. It was fun.

The elevator pinged as it came to a halt, as he slowly left it a man in a white coat got in and the doors closed once more. A grating of metal indicated that it had started to go up again.

The room was dimly lit, gurneys were everywhere, in neat rows, plastic sheets covering something on each one.

The one furthest from him caught his attention and he walked over to it, stepping lightly as the squeaking of his sneakers on the tiled floor wasn't exactly a pleasant sound.

What was under there? He went to lift a corner of the sheet when a hand clasped down on his own and the other over his eyes.

He screamed in surprise.

"Easy," a soft voice soothed as he was lifted into someone's arms, "easy," he'd closed his eyes when the hand had come down over them and now that he was ensconced in a tight embrace he reopened them.

"Bones," he said "you caughted me!" he sounded half-delighted half put off by the idea but at least he wasn't asking what he was about to uncover.

Temperance nodded and, heart beating in her chest unnaturally hard, she walked briskly from the morgue.

_Come on Review! Ya know ya want too! XD_


	5. Agent Replacement

_Disclaimer: Throughout this fik there are liable to be a few chapters with songs in them as I think they would fit. I got Delta Goodrem's album Mistaken Identity the other day and heard the song in this chapter called The Analyst and it instantly reminded me of Brennan._

_Author's Notes: In response to the 'should Parker go to school' question; the votes were counted (those on the reviews and any that I got through email, people I know and anywhere else this is posted). And there was a rather inconvenient conclusion in the fact that the votes counted the same. So I came to a kind of compromise that will become evident as you read these next few chapters. _

_Do we have names for either Rebecca's or Booth's parents?_

Chapter 5: Agent Replacement

Sunday flew by in a blur, a hazy, Parker filled, shrieking, giggling, ice cream doused blur. Complete with cartoons, fake smiles and grievous tears.

Temperance had spoken to Dr Adams again and he informed her in more detail of Booth's condition. Apparently the bullet hadn't actually penetrated the lung merely grazed it and after some quick work and what seemed to be a miracle the bullet's path had been repaired as much as it could be before it was up to the body to fix the rest.

The lung still wasn't working as it should and due to the blow to the head and massive blood loss it seemed that there was a chance that there could be brain damage. To what extent and whether he would ever be able to function if he actually woke up again it was unsure. Although nothing was set in stone as not enough time had passed it appeared that this was the most likely scenario; Booth would be on life support for the period of the coma unless something drastically changed.

In other words his chances of survival weren't high.

_Prepare yourself to meet a girl, who can not sleep,_

_Dividing every question 'til the questions are complete,_

_Every twisted tongue she studies everyone,_

_She won't leave any stone unturned the night is oh so young,_

It had been mentioned in passing by Zack that maybe Parker should be in school considering the lab wasn't the best place for a small child to be and Temperance was uncertain. Parker had just lost his mother, and it was quite possible that he would loose his father also, would he want to go to school? Of course she knew that the best thing for him was normality but she didn't know which school he went to and how he would get there and back. Her own hours were longer than that of the average school day and what if she was called in whilst on a case? Parents did it. But she wasn't a parent.

Kids were great sure, innocent, sweet, full of life, but they were also dependant, needy, easily bored… she never wanted children, why would she want to bring someone into a world that she knew first hand how horrific and dangerous it was?

How there were so many people on this planet that did the wrong thing, that would take another human life without so much as batting an eyelid. Men who hit their wives, parents who beat their children, rapists, murderers, arsonists, sadistic sons-of-bitches who took great pleasure in causing harm to anyone and everyone, it just wasn't a place she wanted to be responsible for bringing someone into.

The note they had found in the mouth of Melissa Hargreaves had drawn up a blank. None of the handwriting had drawn up anything on the database which meant the killer hadn't been convicted before and the pen turned out to be the ordinary ball point, the kind you could but dirt cheap down at the local store so they didn't have much from that.

They had however gotten a finger print only that had confused the database, it turned out that the culprit – culprit, that made it sound like a school kid who'd been caught graffiting the bathroom walls. – Had cut his fingers methodically meaning that it was slightly harder to trace the prints, but they had finally managed to do it although that too had drawn up yet another blank with the fact that it wasn't on the system either.

"I'm gonna take Parker too lunch," Zack said, peeling off his gloves, throwing them in the trash and going to wash his hands.

"Fine," Temperance said waving a distracted hand in his general direction as she looked through the microscope at the slide.

"You joining us Bren?" Angela asked coming in, her happy appearance fooling everyone but Temperance.

_Oh, oh she's travelling back in time,_

_Questioning every line that someone said,_

_Oh, oh she's trying to understand,_

Everyone was trying to get on as normal and try as she might she could not. Nightmares plagued her sleep, waking her in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, tears streaming down her face and her hands clutching at her stomach as she frantically ensured that the bullet that had pierced her abdomen during sleep had not done so for real.

She worked herself to exhaustion and further juggling work, this specific case, Parker, her, if you could call it a, social life. Functioning almost mechanically on caffeine, energy drinks and sugar highs it was almost as if a part of her believed that if they found the killer then Booth would wake up. As if one arrest was the key, the switch, the reason.

'No' She said, removing the slide and sighing, this wasn't right, they had nothing! They'd been following this case for days and they weren't getting anything, how did that work? They had the best equipment in the states, more than enough money at their finger tips and all they had was a body count of thirteen plus one comatose, a note written in ballpoint pen and a finger print. T

he last been of no use as it had been mutilated to the point that it was barely recognisable which made it no wonder that it couldn't be found on the system.

They had names, dates, times, means of death, whereabouts, they could even label the weapons. All of the victims aside from Rebecca had been shot with a 38 Smith and Western; Rebecca had been tied up with your average fishing wire, stabbed with a blunt carving knife and then, much to everyone's dismay and, unbeknownst to Parker (it wasn't like he'd understand anyway) raped. This last violation having been discovered after an autopsy.

And to think… two days ago Parker had nearly uncovered her body, she'd arrived, literally, just in time to stop him from laying eyes once more upon his mother's broken and beaten body. Even though when the doctors had finished the autopsy they had sewn everything up, patching her up to the best of their ability she still wasn't who he remembered, whom he should remember.

_Free her mind she's always the analyst,_

_Silent space the culprit the catalyst,_

_Trying to make sense of her life,_

_Digging around in the dirt she's a slave to the work,_

_She's always the analyst,_

Her funeral was to be on the Wednesday and Temperance was torn between wanting to go and not. Would it really help? Would she be welcome? She didn't like Rebecca, that much wasn't a secret but she would never, ever, not on her worst enemy wish that upon anyone. Taking a four-year-old to a funeral was never a good idea; he wouldn't understand what was going on. He still firmly believed that his mom would come back after her vacation even after the group conversation, and the explanation she herself had try to give him.

"So we'll see you in thirty minutes then," Zack said, although the lunch break was supposedly twice that length getting back sooner would be best for everyone. It wasn't that Temperance resented them having a break it was purely and simply that she, like everyone else wanted the case over and done with as soon as possible so they could start the next case without being emotionally attached to one of the victims.

_Can you be sure we haven't met see the eyes they don't forget?_

_They wander through the passageways that tease a restless mind, _

_Can't afford to slip the picture's gotta fit,_

_Her world's a photograph that gets dissected bit by bit,_

"Hmm," she said, standing up and crossing over to survey all the gurneys at once, Melissa, her daughter, Shani, her parents, the others had been sent down to the morgue, there had to be a connection other than them having small children in the families, blood types? Related in some obscure way? Served on a jury that had sentenced a family member or close friend?

"Tempe," Angela said slowly as Zack ushered Parker away, talking about some cartoon or another and with promises of ice cream for desert.

"What?" she asked, not turning her head as she went back to her computer.

"It's been two days, that's it," she coaxed "if he's in a coma it's gonna take a lot longer than two days for him to wake up. Days, weeks, months, maybe longer,"

"This isn't about him!" She looked up from her computer, eyes flashing, her voice softened as she looked back at the computer screen "this is nothing to do with him, I am trying to find a killer okay? Someone who is responsible for the death of that little boy's mother, who has killed twelve other people adults _and_ children. I am going to find this guy and he is going to pay!"

Angela was silent for a moment. Temperance was driven, that was just who she was, she knew what she wanted, how to get there and just went but this time… it seemed like she felt powerless, and in a way she was, powerless to what she was feeling. Angela could tell that her friend was overcome with the emotions plaguing her mind.

Anger being the one she was accustomed to dealing with and knowing it would help she was putting everything and anything she had into this case, allowing her confusion to fuel her need to fix what she could. She hadn't left the lab 'til gone midnight on Saturday and had to forced to see the sense of looking after Parker to stop her coming in on Sunday.

_Oh, oh she's travelling back in time,_

_Questioning every line that someone said,_

_Oh, oh she's trying to understand,_

"Have you spoken to his parents? To Rebecca's?" she said quietly, gauging the reaction to the questions.

"The coroner spoke to Rebecca's parents on Friday. I can't get hold of Booth's, seems the number he has isn't valid,"

"Can't we, you know track them down? We do work for the FBI," she followed Temperance as she clicked off the documents she had open and got to her feet again.

"If they don't want to be found they don't want to be found. Shani and her parents were attacked whilst on a picnic right? Down in the park?"

Angela nodded, Temperance wasn't going to talk any more about Booth's parent's at the moment, and she wasn't going to press for it, who knew whether talking about it brought painful memories forth about her own parents disappearance?

"We sure that it was her father?"

"Why? You on to something?" Angela's brow furrowed, trying to figure out where this was going.

Temperance was running a hand down the sheet next to the body of Jessica, Shani's mother's, body.

_Free her mind she's always the analyst,_

_Silent space the culprit the catalyst,_

_Trying to make sense of her life,_

_Digging around in the dirt she's a slave to the work,_

_She's always the analyst,_

She shook her head, not in dismissal but more in a way of trying to clear her thoughts as if the fruitless action would suddenly make everything click into place. She went back to her computer, drew up another file, then flicked through some test results that were in the pile next to the keyboard.

"That wasn't her father. At least not biologically" she concluded "Jake Hoffman, journalist for the local paper was. He and Jessica were going through the divorce. Alex Macklin was the body found with them,"

"So Alex wasn't connected to them? That doesn't work does it? Our guy's taking out families,"

Temperance tucked a stray lock of hair roughly behind her ear "I think we need to pay a visit to Jake," she said "he might be able to tell us something, maybe if there was anyone that Jessica had offended, who Alex was,"

"But it's not just Jessica, there's a lot more related, Melissa-"

"If we can find out who might be after Jessica or if she served on a jury; anything that might connect her to any one of the other victims, if she knew something that she shouldn't, if she owed someone money–Zack? I thought you were going out for lunch'

_Re-living the mistake she's made not a moment for the curious girl,_

Zack shook his head "Parker wanted to go to the cafeteria, we'd just bought sandwiches when I got a page, said I had to get down here as soon as I could"

"Over lunch?" Angela said, "must be pretty important. Who from?"

"Doctor Goodman," he said, more in greeting than answering, perking up and looking over to the doorway.

Temperance looked in the direction he was looking in out into the lab where Doctor Goodman had entered with another man. Five eleven, dirty blonde hair, piercing blue eyes.

Temperance got up and with an instruction to Parker to stay where he was she went out to meet the two visitors, Zack and Angela on her heels, Jack seemingly appearing out of no where as they met him half way across the lab.

"Good afternoon Doctor Brennan," Goodman greeted, nodding his head politely.

"'Afternoon, what's going on?" she glanced to the man stood next to him.

_Free her mind she's always the analyst,_

_Silent space the culprit the catalyst,_

_Trying to make sense of this life,_

_Digging around breaking it down,_

_Neurotic thoughts,_

_Burning the ground,_

_Every sight every sound,_

_She's always the analyst,_

The man stepped forward, and held out his hand, a smile that was either sinister or fake, she wasn't sure what plastered to his face in such an unappealing manner she looked away, instead surveying him, an eyebrow quirked.

He was dressed immaculately in a designer suit with shoes so shiny she could see her reflection in them. His hair was slicked back; flecks of grey speckled the blonde locks. Age lines round his eyes and across his forehead as if he'd spent much of his life frowning disapprovingly at one thing or another made him look less friendly than he would have without them.

She took his hand as her gaze was forced back to his face once more "Temperance Brennan," she said, flinching slightly at his touch, it was cold and clammy, not at all like Booth's…

"Agent Lesley Carter," he said smugly "I'm here as a temporary replacement for Agent Booth, permanent if he doesn't wake up," he allowed a small chuckle, this time it reached his eyes and everyone who saw them flinched. Their mouths agape.

_I own a character! I own a character! Wait . . . okay, no I don't! Lesley's not mine! I swear on it! I swear! Okay you got me, he's mine but I hate him._

_Review!_


	6. Ill Temperament

_Author's Notes: Jake Hoffman isn't American, it isn't mentioned and isn't important but a review did mention his 'non American' accent and word usage. _

Chapter 6: Ill Temperament

"So when are meeting with Mr Hoffman?" Carter asked, leaning casually against the pillar next to Temperance's desk.

She was sat, an array of pens in front of her, resorting to the last thing she could think of from the information they had and trying to find out whether their guy was right or left handed when it came to writing.

He held his gun in the right hand if she remembered correctly but from the slant of the handwriting he wrote using his left hand, not impossible, just unusual. She was also attempting to see how he held his pen, see if that led them anywhere.

Temperance tried to ignore him, placing the third ballpoint down and trying another, a different way of holding it, comparing the way she wrote with the pen held this way to the way it was written.

"Tempe," he sing-songed, straightening up and leaning on the desk in front of her, trying to peer into her downcast eyes.

"It's Doctor Brennan," she said coolly getting to her feet and disposing of the scraps of paper she'd been using.

"When are we meeting Mr Hoffman?" he repeated impatiently, straightening up once more.

"When I've finished doing this," she sighed, "Angela and I will go,"

"Miss Montenegro certainly won't be. You and I will go and question this man, if necessary arrests will be made," he sounded indignant and puffed out his chest in a manner that supported this assumption.

She laughed hollowly "arrests? Jake Hoffman has an alibi for Friday night, it wasn't him who shot Booth,"

"We're not just out for your lover's attacker here, we don't know he's telling the truth, we're out for a killer," he slammed the side of his hand on the desk for emphasis "a killer who shall and will be stopped,"

His sense of self-importance was off-putting and laughable. The way he strutted round the lab like he owned the place and criticised everyone and everything. The décor of her office, Angela's sketches, Jack and Zack's banter, Zack and Angela's often far fetched but in ways incredibly accurate recreations of relationships, ways of life for the victims.

The out of work life that was discussed as a mild distraction for lack of a better word as they peeled back layers of flesh and bone, cleaned skeletons, performed tests, to stop them for feeling nauseous and zoning out when they thought of Booth.

"Should you be doing that?" he quizzed as she lifted up the skull of Jessica and turned it to look at the bullet hole near the base of the cranium. Picking up the bullet that had been extracted she placed it against the hole, squinting as she put the point inside the skull, once more ignoring him.

"I said should you be doing that?" he repeated a little louder, slamming his hand down on the gurney a little harder than she would have thought he meant too but he showed no regret.

"You know, Agent Carter, I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell me how to do my job" she put the skull and the bullet back down where they were before she picked them up.

"If you're doing something that could be potentially dangerous to any of the bodies whose families have been so kind as to let us keep-"

She gave him a disgusted look "kind? They're doing it out of necessity, because we're the FBI and they can't say no, not without jeopardising the investigation. And I'm doing nothing that isn't part of my job so please, stay out of it!"

He looked momentarily stung, blinking as if he were unsure of exactly what she was saying and how to reply. She however ducked her head to hide the smug smile that flitted across her face, a minute later she looked up, her face void of all emotion and pulled of her lab coat, hanging it on a peg in her office and washing her hands in the sink.

"Shall we go then?" he said impatiently, one hand in his pockets the other resting against his belt, his thumb brushing over the holster in which is gun was.

"As you wish," she replied gesturing for him to go ahead.

"Bones!" came a cry as they were leaving the lab, she turned to see Parker watching her, a felt pen in one hand and a piece of paper in the other "where ya goin'?"

Carter rolled his eyes as she went back to the boy and crouched in front of him "I have to go out for a while, you're gonna stay with Angela for a while okay?"

He nodded "be back soon?"

She nodded herself "soon," she confirmed before getting to her feet again as he ran off back to Angela, Zack chided him gently as he went passed for running where there was a lot of special and/or expensive equipment around.

Carter cleared his throat "Temperance,"

She bit back the urge to correct him, he wasn't a friend or even someone she remotely liked therefore she was Doctor Brennan to him nothing more nothing less. She turned back to him and followed him out to his SUV. She almost froze as she was supposed to get in, it looked so much like Booth's… and she'd only been in that to drive back to his place and get the car seat out the back to put in her own vehicle.

He cleared his throat yet again and she got into the passenger seat staring numbly straight-ahead "wake up Doctor," he said pseudo cheerily.

She shot a look at him one that said quite plainly 'I don't like you' 'stay out of it' and 'fuck you'

He laughed, the sound echoing through the car and blocking her ears like sticky plugs, forcing itself into her very being leaving her cold and empty when it had gone.

"Why bring the little brat to work with you? Haven't you got a sitter?" he said in an attempt of, what she guessed was his idea of striking conversation.

"He's not mine" she looked down at her hands, picking at a caught nail as a way to vent her frustration rather than attack him "and he's not a brat,"

"Who's is he then?" he said, stepping on the clutch and changing gear as he set of from the lights.

The picking grew more ferocious and she swore under her breath when she ripped half of the nail, clean off and blood began to flow forth, staining the guilty appendages a deep red. "Agent Booth's" she whispered, although the nail now causing her considerable pain squeezing it just below the first knuckle made it seem mildly uncomfortable as it began to turn a violent purple.

"Where's his mother?" he turned left.

"Dead," she replied, finally jerking out of her daze and looking straight ahead, he drove so slowly it was nauseating.

"So you get dumped with your boyfriend's kid. Bad deal,"

"He is not my boyfriend!" She snapped "he was… is a… friend, a good friend and Parker has no where else to go,"

"Grandparents? Aunts? Uncles?"

"Rebecca's family are too distraught over her death to even contemplate bringing up a child and I can't find Booth's family, no one can. I'm only caring for Parker until Booth wakes up," she said coolly, why was she telling him this? It was nothing to do with him, nothing at all.

Although she begrudgingly agreed with herself, he was going to be working with them and in Booth's absence he did deserve to know at least some of the reason as to why he was filling in, in the first place.

"What if he doesn't wake up though? What you gonna do then? Keep the child? You've got no custodial rights, none what so ever and if his family doesn't want him he'll go in to foster care,"

She turned in her seat as much as she could and glowered at him, his eyes were on the road but he kept glancing at her so the glare didn't go wasted "Booth will wake up okay. And he will have Parker and then you can go back to wherever you came from and stay out of our lives. The Social Services can go to hell, I will keep Parker if it kills me,"

Carter just smiled to himself for the rest of journey to Hoffman's apartment.

Jake Hoffman was stood in the doorway of his home, a smug looking FBI agent and a rather frustrated looking anthropologist on doorstep. Dressed in sweatpants and an old wife beater, a towel round his shoulders and his hair still wet from the shower he wasn't exactly dressed for company.

The agent glanced around and flashed his badge "we'd like to come in and ask a few questions if that's okay?" he said, pocketing his wallet.

Jake capitulated, 'yeah . . . um . . . come in' he led them into his apartment. Seizing dirty laundry from the backs of chairs "sorry, I wasn't expecting company, worked late last night so I only got up an hour ago, take a seat." He dumped the clothes in the corner of the room and gestured to the couch as he sat down in the armchair, tugging the towel from his shoulders and throwing it in the pile as well.

Temperance sat on the couch and smiled in a friendly manner at him, he too looked friendly as he smiled back. Tall, tanned, well muscled, looked to be mid twenties, dark brown hair in stark contrast with sparkling blue eyes, a slight blush rising to his cheeks made her realise she was staring, mouthing a sorry at him as Carter took a seat also and began to speak. His accent; although tinted slightly with American was also very English.

"You're bleeding," he pointed to her finger that although clotting was still oozing forth the precious liquid. A liquid Temperance had seen far too much lately, gushing from life bodies.

She looked down and before she had time to look up again a band aid was held out for her, she smiled her thanks and applied it gently, hissing as the antiseptic that Jake must have applied to the cushion of it took effect.

"Do you know there's someone going round killing entire families?" Carter said briskly.

Jake looked startled and Temperance turned to her partner "I'll take it," she said, his people skills left much to be desired, they even made hers look Stella.

"Don't worry you're not a suspect," she soothed, noticing the look of panic on he face.

"I've already been questioned once–'bout some copper getting shot on Friday night right? And his ex being killed before anyone got on scene?" he was shifting nervously, eyes flicking from Temperance to Carter.

"you're looking mighty nervous for someone with a secure alibi," Carter mused, his fingers carded together in front of his face as he leant back in his seat, his ankle of his left leg resting on his right thigh. He looked incredibly relaxed.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Temperance challenged, turning her head to him.

He frowned at her as she stared him down before turning back to Jake who was looking decidedly fractious.

"What's going on?" he asked, "I gave you all I could last time,"

Temperance gave him a serious look, her eyes filled with empathy "were you aware that Shani and Jessica were found dead on Friday?"

He paled, almost to the same colour as the wife beater, swallowing and staring at her wide eyed and pleading "d-dead… b-but I… there was a man here before! He should have told me shouldn't he? That cop. Five days? Five whole days?"

Temperance herself was a little surprised but then realised "we couldn't release their identities until Monday but you still should have… I'm so sorry,"

He leant forwards in his seat and for a split second she thought he was going to vomit but he just rested his head in his hands, his shoulders heaving with the effort of with holding gut wrenching sobs.

"I know this is hard for you-"

"Hard?" he choked out as he looked up, his eyes filled the tears that were running down his cheeks like rivers of salt, glistening in the light that shone through the lounge window. It looked like he wanted to say something more but couldn't get in enough air to do so.

Temperance tried not to be affected by it and continued on "we need to ask you something," she said softly, when he didn't interrupt she continued "who was Alex Macklin?"

Jake ran a hand over his face, sniffing and trying to gain control of himself long enough for him to get rid of this uninvited guests and mourn on his own. "Alex… he was Jess' new guy, the divorce finally came though about a month ago, throughout the time we were going through it we agreed that one another could see other people, I split from Hope about a fortnight ago and Alex had just proposed to Jess. She'd invited me to wedding,"

"You two got on well?"

"The divorce was a mutual agreement, we loved each other of course but it was more like a high school fling which now I look back it was. We married when she turned twenty and had Shani not to long after that. She looked so much like her mother…"

"She took her name didn't she? Wolf?" Temperance asked, trying to sound as comforting as she could.

Jake nodded sorrowfully, his eyes glazing over in remembrance of his beautiful little girl.

Carter rolled his eyes. This was getting old real fast, suddenly, making Temperance, Jake and the gorgeous Persian cat that had just decided to venture out his hiding place jump and in the cat's case bolt back into the kitchen.

"Where were you Friday night?" he demanded sharply, his eyes boring into Jake's tear filled ones.

"He's already been-" Temperance began.

"I was at my brother's housewarming party," he stammered, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand as the tears betrayed him yet again and they began a slow descent down his cheeks once more.

"Do you have a gun?" Carter asked, blatantly pulling at straws.

"What kind of question is that?" Temperance turned her head and fixed him with an accusing stare.

"I won't question your methods if you don't question mine," he replied shortly "well?" he looked back at Jake "Mr Hoffman don't waste my time,"

"I have an air rifle but that was my father's, he died three years ago, it's not even loaded,"

"How was that question even relevant? He's been given clearance, it was all I could do to get permission to question him again,"

"How long were you at this party?" he said the word as if it tasted foul, and it was certain that he didn't believe Jake's story.

"Seven 'til about midnight," he answered, his forehead creasing into a frown as he tried to remember.

"The attack took place at around eight" Temperance said "and I saw the attacker, he was taller than Jake and built differently," she turned back to Jake. The living room of a distressed citizen was not the place to be having a discussion with her partner "I'm sorry for keeping you so long and we are _both_ very sorry for your loss," she got to her feet, and stared down at Carter until he did so too.

"Yeah, yeah, real sorry," he said, strolling out of the house.

"Sorry," Temperance said again.

"Thank you," Jake said, not getting to his feet, and judging by how much he was shaking there was a good reason for that "find him? The guy that did it. Please?"

"I will," Temperance said, a hint of sadness reaching her voice.

"You've lost someone to him?"

"My friend got shot in the attack on Friday. He saved my life and his son's," she said, smiling weakly at him.

"Is he… I mean… were you two…"

"He's on life support. They don't think he'll wake up but it's too early too tell. I'm looking after his son,"

"I'm sorry," he said, this was heartfelt.

She laughed, her eyes welling up "keep doing that don't we? Well me,"

He chuckled half-heartedly "yeah" he replied, then more sincerely "I hope he does. Wake up I mean. He mean a lot to you?"

She nodded her acquiescence and then left the apartment before the pressure building in her chest unleashed itself and she collapsed in hysterical tears.

"Took your time," Carter said as she got into the car once more and he turned the ignition.

"You could have been a little more considerate," she hissed, snapping on her seatbelt as they set of back to the Jeffersonian "the guy just found out that his ex wife and his daughter are dead!" Ordinarily it would be Booth berating her over her lack of sympathy, it was strange for it to be her doing the chastising.

"Do you want to find this guy or not?" he challenged.

She sat back in her seat, staring out the window.

The drive back was short, as was the drive there and as they both got out of the car Temperance couldn't help but retort. "I thought Booth was the most annoying man on the planet, sarcastic, impulsive, aggravating, irritating, dismissive, self assuring but you… you out run him by a mile. At least he cared, at least he was considerate whereas you! I can't even begin to describe it," she slammed the door.

She thought that Booth brought out the worst in her but she couldn't have been more wrong, she had never, ever been unable to describe someone or been so aggravated by a work companion's presence that it made her want to hit them. That had led her to be unable to control her temper.

Carter snorted "you, m'lady are quite the arrogant one aren't you? Very driven, with a passion that doesn't belong in the work place most definitely. I'm the one in charge in this little operation, I'm the one that calls the shots, does the arresting, asks the questions. I suggest you learn your place Ms Brennan or I'll be asking for your place with the FBI to be reconsidered. I shall see you tomorrow. Good day to you," with that he left her seething in the parking lot, shooting proverbial daggers at his turned back.

_Don't worry more Parker next chapter! Please Review!_


	7. A Social Girl and a Social Boy

_Author's Note: I don't know how the social services system works in England so I haven't got a chance with the American one even it is the same! I've tried but I've been busy – I found out my cat has cancer so I've had to be looking after him etc, and I had a major writer's block with the scene with the social services so bare with me? They may agree too easily, or may be totally wrong but as I said I tried so please don't make a big deal out of it if it's wrong._

_Oh and I haven't a clue what Rebecca's parents are called so I made it up. Daniel and Julie, if that's okay? If anyone knows Booth's parent's names that would be great, if not, when and if I use them they too will be made up. I also don't know Rebecca's last name XD or the way any of their parents would act so they are the way they are because that's the way I imagine them with no prompts._

_Jake Hoffman in the last chapter didn't speak with an American accent 'coz he's not American, I'm not even sure that Carter is, there is a reason for the way he speaks though so just wait 'kay?_

Chapter 7: A Social Girl and a Social Boy

Temperance stood, back straight and stiff outside the school gates, her eyes flicking nervously from child to parent, parent to child. It felt like everyone around her was staring at her, watching very move she made and judging everything she did.

She hadn't said a word since her and Parker had gotten out of the car which probably aided the suspicion add the fact that most of these people will have been good friends of Rebecca's and would have been wondering where she was.

As if reading her thoughts and portly woman with short dark hair and her neck adorned with beaded necklaces spoke "pardon me, but who are you? A friend of Rebecca's?" Temperance couldn't tell if she was being friendly or rude but she answered anyway.

"I'm Dr-Temperance," she corrected "Temperance Brennan,"

"Rebecca's never mentioned a Temperance before how do you know her?" a woman slightly taller than Temperance asked, her blonde ponytail swinging back and forth as she spoke.

"I don't really know Rebecca; I work with her ex," she put a hand gently on Parker's head "with his dad,"

"Where are they?"

Temperance shifted slightly under their scrutiny, they certainly were inquisitive, but in a way that was kind of nice that they were so close knit that they showed curiosity to any new comer to protect each other and the children.

She swallowed "um… his dad-"

"Seeley right? The FBI cop?" the portly woman asked, her son running round his mother's legs being chased by what she could only assume was the blonde woman's daughter.

Temperance nodded "he… well there was an…" her voice caught in her throat, snakes writhed in her gut, twisting, turning, clenching and unclenching. She took a deep breath and tried to look calm "accident. Booth, I mean Seeley, got shot,"

There was a gasp that flitted across the schoolyard, as they stared at her. This new comer was telling them that Seeley Booth had been shot?

"He's alive." she assured, her voice dropping unintentionally "he's on life support. In a coma,"

"And Rebecca?" A woman with almost black hair with red streaks in it clutched her daughter's hand tightly.

"She…" Temperance took another deep breath, how could her chest feel so tight "we were too late," looking down at Parker who was watching her with sad brown eyes, some form of strength hidden deep in the. She mentally amended her next sentence "she passed away before we could do anything,"

Babble filled with inane and insignificant comments filled her ears, their chatter seemed to be at abnormally loud decibels. Needing to get away from all the noise she pulled Parker over to the swing set and crouched down to him "you okay?" she asked.

He nodded, reaching out and touching her cheek gently "miss mommy. She be back soon?"

Temperance felt her eyes burn and she blinked hard, mentally chiding herself "sweetie," One of Angela's endearments for… anyone really, slipping out "she can't come back,"

"Why?" he asked, his emotions getting the better of him as he stamped his foot slightly and looked at her petulantly through tear filled eyes "I don't get it! Why not? Why she go away?"

Her eyes sharpened. The tears that filled them, sparkling in fury. Not aimed at him, God _never _aimed at him but at whoever was up there, whoever made the choice, took the life, fired the gun, slashed the knife, tied the girl, hurt the man, broke the heart, damaged, tore, ripped, destroyed, burned and broke.

Whoever had the right to decide who could live and who could die. Who could kill, who could save. Who made the man that killed the girl. This world was a hell everyone and no one thought they could change and that in it's self was defeating.

Fires blaze in places they can't be seen, can't be put out, in the heart and the mind, the gut and the eyes. They blaze with fury and pain, faith and betrayal. It doesn't make sense and it doesn't stop. Tears coax on the flames that lick and open wounds, the burn like nothing imagined before and still, nothing can put them out.

"Because a very, very bad man hurt her," she whispered "and she couldn't stay because he sent her away,"

"He locked her up? Is she alone? There was red Bones. Is she still red?" he asked, sniffling as he cried softly "is she still red?"

Red. Blood. Rich. Thick. The essence of life.

The very thing that made the difference between being dead and being alive. A thick, rich, red substance that spilled too easily and froze and burned like acid.

Her choked, incoherent reply was drowned out by the shrill cry of the school bell and children and adults alike began pouring into the classroom.

"C'mon," she stood up and held out her hand, which he took without hesitation.

* * *

"So everything was okay this morning? The school had it explained to them?" Angela asked as she took a bite out of her sandwich. 

Temperance nodded "I spoke to his teacher and let her know I'll be collecting him tonight," she sipped her coffee carefully, pressing her tongue into the roof of her mouth when it scalded her tongue and throat as she swallowed.

Angela nodded "how's Booth doing?" she asked tentatively after a few moments silence "I'm going to go see him tonight…"

"No change," she replied shortly, glaring at the black substance in the polystyrene cup that was slowly being crushed in her hand as if it was the cause of all her problems.

Angela's lips formed into a silent 'o' Brennan seemed to be taking it harder than anyone and much as she would have liked to try and talk to her about it. To get her to open up and let everyone know what she was thinking, what was going through her head it wasn't going to happen. Brennan's mind was a complex place and trying to understand it wasn't something you did lightly.

Silence reigned once more, normally silence between the two was companionable and was broken quickly and easily with small talk and smiles, this silence was deafening, cold and could be cut with a knife, it wasn't a silence aimed at one another it was aimed at nothing and no one. Thoughts were buzzing around both their minds, wanting to be heard and not heard at the same time.

"Doctor Brennan?" Zack said, coming over to them "there's a call for you,"

Temperance got to her feet, putting the semi-crushed-half-full cup on the table "from who?"

"Parker's Principal,"

* * *

Parker swung his legs absently as he sat in the large plush chair in the Principal's office; his sneaker clad feet at least six inches from the carpeted floor. 

"Parker," a woman with highlighted mousy hair said crouching in front of him, a soft smile gracing her gloss covered lips "can we ask you a few questions?"

Parker followed her gesture to the man stood just behind her; he too smiled when the boy looked at him. Parker nodded innocently.

"His carer is on her way" Principal Hart said to the woman who nodded 'perhaps we should wait until she gets here?'

The woman shook her head "we'll talk to her after, we need to talk to Parker without her influence first,"

"What's your names?' Parker asked, he didn't really understand what was going on but it didn't sound very good from the looks on their faces. He may have only be four but he wasn't stupid.

"I'm Jaime," the woman said "and this is Darren," she pointed to her accomplice.

"I'm Parker," he replied grinning.

"I know you are," Jaime poked his stomach playfully and he squirmed at the ticklish sensation it caused.

Darren knelt next to Jaime "so Parker, who is it your living with at the moment?"

Parker cocked his head to one side and replied simply "Bones"

Darren frowned in confusion "Bones?"

"Daddy's friend. He says she's pretty. She is. I like her,"

"Do you? What's she like then?" Darren shifted from his uncomfortable crouching position to sit cross-legged on the floor.

"She's pretty,"

"You've said that already," Jaime smiled "what else?"

"She's nice, and she takes me to see daddy every single day so we can try and wake him up," Parker paused a moment "I think he must be really tired,"

"Why's that?" Darren asked, tapping Parker's feet as he seemed to be going off into a world of his own.

"Well he's been asleep for _ages_ but he works really hard to catch the bad guys. He has a gun!" he looked delighted and extremely proud that his father had a weapon "and he's allowed to use it too!"

"Wow," Jaime said, getting up to sit in the seat next to Parker "so you like his job?"

Parker nodded enthusiastically "yeah-huh. Bones and Zack and Jack get bits of people and put them together again then Angela draws it–she's really good at drawing. Then daddy goes and gets his gun and points it at the bad guy." Parker put his hands together in the form of a gun and pointed it at the wall opposite "hands up!" he laughed when Darren and Jaime jumped at his sudden increase in volume "then he puts handcuffs on the bad guy and takes him to prison,"

"Sounds like your daddy has a very exciting job," Jaime said.

"Very cool," Darren nodded in agreement.

"He's special agent, an' he works for the goverm… gover… the President!" Parker grinned, his eyes sparkling with happiness–they thought that daddy's job was cool! "Bones!" he exclaimed happily as Temperance was let into the office by the secretary, he jumped off his seat and bolted passed Darren and practically through himself into Temperance's arms.

"What's going on?" She asked coldly, barely batting an eyelid as she swung the child up into her arms and sat him on her hip.

"Darren and Jamie were asking me questions about daddy's job," Parker said.

Darren got off the floor as Jaime got to her feet and corrected him "it's Jaime," she held out her hand, which Temperance took and shook before shifting Parker slightly "we're from social services,"

Temperance froze. They hadn't contacted them in a week and suddenly they get them whilst he's at school "what do you want?" she snapped, her hold on Parker tightening subconsciously.

"What's best for Parker," Jaime replied "you are not a blood relative correct?"

Temperance ignored the question "you are not taking him away," she replied firmly, stepping backwards "he's fine. We're doing fine," her voice was breaking, getting higher as hysteria tried to take hold. Parker was her reason, her only reason. Without him what was she supposed to do? He was her hope, the light in the darkness that had consumed her, if they took him away she was nothing.

"We're simply trying to figure out what's best for Parker," Darren said "why don't we sit down?"

Temperance shook her head "he stays with me," she said.

Parker pressed himself closer to Temperance; they wanted to take him away? Why? He liked Bones, she had a nice house, her friends were nice, he could see daddy whenever he wanted "'stay," he said.

"You aren't a blood relative and neither Rebecca nor Seeley's Wills State that you should assume custody. Your name doesn't even appear on them,"

Parker was ignored.

"I don't care," she snapped "he stays. You can't take him,"

Jaime flicked through some papers "Rebecca's states that Parker should go to Seeley and Seeley's says either Rebecca or his parents-"

"I've tried to contact his parents and I can't find them. He's happy with me and Booth could wake up any day now' she insisted, well aware that she was taking on a pleading tone "don't do this," she begged "please,"

"Have you tried contacting Rebecca's parents?"

Temperance nodded "they called the day after her death,"

"And?"

"They wanted me to look after him," she said, mentally kicking herself, now it sounded like she was lying "I'm not lying," she defended at their expressions "her father was barely coherent and her mother was in no fit state to even get to the phone. They said that Parker would be best of with me,"

"You sure of that? I would have though that they would have wanted to take on the daughter's progeny," Jaime ran her fingers through her hair.

"We need to speak to them," Darren said to his partner.

"Don't wanna go," Parker repeated "wanna stay,"

"We're just trying to figure out what's best for you honey," she said softly, trying to catch his eye.

He glared at her "best with Bones. Like Bones. Bones nice. Stay" he glowered at her through eyes so young yet seeming so much older, having seen far more than most people saw in entire lifetimes.

"See?' Temperance turned to them; "he wants to stay,"

"He's four years old Dr. Brennan. He doesn't know what he wants,"

"For God's sake!" she cried out "doesn't know what he wants? He wants his mother, his father, he wants to be home but he can't have that so he's picked second best. I am the closest he can get to his dad and he's as happy as is possible considering everything that's happened,"

"Like what Doctor?" Jaime asked.

"You want to know?" Temperance shifted Parker too the other hip, giving him a reassuring squeeze as he was re-seated "he watched as a complete stranger burst into his home and attacked his mother. He listened as his mom was raped and tortured before her body finally gave out and she died. He watched his father fall to the ground; a bullet embedded in his chest and blood pouring from his head. He watched as the paramedics took him away. Don't you dare tell me he doesn't know what he wants because hearing your mother get murdered in the next room doesn't make you more sure. He wants to stay. I want him to stay and there is no way in hell I will let you take him away," anger boiled inside her to the point she felt as if she would explode, she shook with fury and fear and through it all her voice stayed steady.

"I'm afraid you won't have much choice once the courts get involved," Principal Hart added, until now unsure of how he could get himself involved in the conversation without being considered rude.

"I don't understand what's so wrong with me looking after him!" Temperance said desperately "what's so wrong with that? I can look after him, he's happy, he's close to his dad,"

"You are not a relative," Jaime replied shortly "are you free now? We can go and talk with Rebecca's parents if you are,"

Temperance opened her mouth to say that actually she wasn't but realised how bad that would sound–she didn't have time to ensure Parker's welfare would not go down well if this reached the courts "I'll just call and let my colleagues know where I am,"

Darren nodded and Jaime followed his example, lacking quite such a sincere smile.

Holding back a sigh at the realisation she wasn't going to get to have the phone call without inquiring eyes watching her she pulled out her cell and phoned the lab.

"Doctor Brennan?" Zack answered "is everything okay with Parker?"

She smiled "for now, listen can you and Jack handle everything over there? Ange and Dr. Goodman will help I just gotta sort some things out,"

"Sure. Um…" he trailed off uncertainly, this didn't exactly help Temperance's already frayed nerves.

"What's wrong Zack? Is everything okay there?"

"Agent Carter he's … well he's causing some problems…"

She rolled her eyes "put Angela on," she sighed.

A moment later "hey Bren, everything okay?"

"For now. What's going on with Carter?" she said, hoping to God it was nothing she was likely to loose her temper with. Well at least not in front of CPS workers.

"He's going through the files we have on all the remains connected to the serial case' she said "which he's perfectly entitled to do I know but he's just criticising everyone's work, making us all go over everything again, having to justify every move we make. We can handle everything,"

"Dammit," she muttered, flashing an innocent smile at Jaime who's eyebrows raised at then gave a pointed look to Parker "I mean… shoot," she corrected.

"What's going on Bren?" Angela sounded confused and concerned.

She shook her head trying to clear it, as Jaime rolled her eyes at the length of the call "nothing. You sure you can handle Carter?"

"Yeah but-"

Temperance cut her off.

"Ready?" Darren asked, his smile was genuine, definitely the sort of person you felt comfortable being around. Jaime wasn't so easy going, how she got a job with children Temperance was beginning to wonder.

Temperance nodded "ready to go see your grandparents?" she looked at Parker who shrugged, this entire ordeal subduing him and making him cling even tighter to the back of his carer's shirt.

"Daniel?" Temperance said, being on first name terms with a man she barely knew felt rude almost but when she'd spoken to him before he had insisted upon it.

"Tempe," he said softly, running a hand through the scattering of grey hairs on his head "what're you doing here love?"

She gave him a sympathetic look "this is Darren and Jaime," she said "they're from social services,"

His gaze hardened and he glowered at them, he looked about ready to shut the door "whaddya want?" he growled at them.

"We need to discuss who has custody of Parker," Jaime said "can we come in?"

"No you damn well can't," he snapped gruffly, so different to the calm man that spoke before.

"Daniel," Julie called through "who is it dear?"

"Tempe, Parker and some kids from social services," he replied.

A soft moan was the reply "tell 'em to go away," she whimpered.

Temperance felt a swell of anger at Jaime and Darren at the same time as one of sympathy for Rebecca's parents "please," she begged softly "let's just get this sorted out,"

Daniel grumbled but stepped aside to let the four people into his home.

"May we?" Jaime gestured to the couch.

Daniel grunted a yes as he limped over to an armchair next to the one with a frail woman into, tears streaking her face. Without the silvery tracks and the dark bags under her eyes Temperance guessed that this woman would actually be very attractive.

Jaime and Darren took their seats on the couch whilst Temperance sat on the stool by a piano in the corner, Parker assuming his place on her lap without a second thought.

"We got nothin' for a child here," Daniel said before Jaime could open her mouth "nothin', he's okay to visit but we ain't raisin' no kid"

"He is your grandson,"

"Be that as it may," Julie said, her voice soothing like the gentle plucking of violin strings "he's better off with someone who can care for him properly, which we can't,"

"Your daughter's will states he should go to his father and his father's states his parents, with his father incapacitated and his parents out of reach you are the next blood relatives,"

"Is he happy where he is?" Daniel asked, blatantly tired of this conversation already.

"Yes," Temperance interrupted "he wants to stay with me. Don't you Parker?"

He nodded, curled into her lap, thumb tucked discreetly into his mouth 'wanna stay with Bones' he confirmed sleepily.

"Then it's sorted then," Daniel got to his feet "he's happy where he is. He can visit us if he wants and Tempe can look after him 'til his daddy wakes up is that alright?" he addressed Temperance with the question to which she nodded in reply.

"The custody papers-" Jaime began.

"There are none, not until someone applies for custody of him and as Seeley is unconscious the custody lies with him. His partner is your next best," Daniel smiled fondly at the anthropologist who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Why don't you check my place out? My background? Whatever you want? Psych history, med history, my pay, and my job. Anything you want. I have nothing to hide,"

Darren nodded. Once her temper had been controlled Temperance Brennan was a reasonable woman and if she checked out which from what he already knew she would they couldn't take Parker away and even if they tried she just had to apply for custody.

"Fine," Jaime said "thank you for your time," she got to her feet, as did the other uninvited guests and left the house.

_I think I lost all the characters at the end there! That was difficult, I thought Parker's first night was hard! Man was I wrong! Knew I shouldn't have jinxed myself. Anyway, if anyone's out of character, if it seems rushed I'm sorry but I really wanted to get this over with and this is the first bit of spare time that hasn't been plagued with writer's block for a while. – no wait tell a lie, the first bit of spare time that hasn't been plagued with writer's block, me watching/thinking about/making banner's of Brokeback Mountain XD God I love that film. Lol._

_Please Review!_


	8. Sleepless Dream

_Disclaimer: The song that is in this chapter is called Going down in Flames by 3 Doors Down. I think it fits but I can also see why people would think that it wouldn't, you have to try and get into Temperance's state of mind to get it._

_Author's Notes: I know everyone is probably out of character in this chapter but I'm trying to do things with characters that are hard to work with having never seen them in any situation quite like this. So bare with me!_

_I wrote this._

_Printed this._

_Deleted this._

_So I had to type it again! It's funny now but it wasn't at the time!_

_Oh yes and 'carer' is a word; dictionary definition 'one who cares'_

Chapter 8: Sleepless Dream

Three months.

Three months and no change.

Three months since Parker had been home with Rebecca, packing up things, getting ready for a weekend at his father's house.

Three months since everyone's life had turned into a spinning tundra and wasn't stopping. Each day was challenge, each time the alarm went off, or the clock chimed. Each time the sun set or rose, each time his name was mentioned,

It hadn't taken long for his name to stop being mentioned all together, but that didn't stop people freezing, stopping in their tracks as they examined a new set of remains or as they passed one another, sharing split seconds of sympathy and solace. One glance shooting another burst of energy through their fatigue plagued bodies.

_Don't tell me what to think, _

_Cause I don't care this time, _

_Don't tell me what you believe, _

_Cause you won't be there,_

"What now?" Zack asked hollowly as he, Angela and Jack stood in the lab, looking through the window of their colleague's office.

"Home?" Jack suggested, looking away when Angela shot him an angry look.

Temperance had been working herself and everyone around her to the bone, no more remains had been brought in on the 'Booth Case' tests were being ran again and again, coming up with no new results each time, aggravating her to no end, which in turn aggravated everyone else.

Zack was getting snapped at, two, maybe three times a day. If he didn't answer quick enough or the test results weren't back, if he even uttered the words 'I'm sorry Dr. Brennan' now she turned her back on him, ignoring everyone 'til something new came in, whether new or not.

Jack was just ignored period. After his crack the other day she hadn't said a word to him and to be honest that suited him just fine. Women were hard enough to understand at the best of time, but a work obsessed, sleep deprived woman with the ability to kick his ass into next week wasn't someone he wished to cross.

Angela was still on … well you could call it speaking terms, with her friend, but their conversations were short too the point and nothing but work related. At times even monosyllabic.

"What's going on here?" Doctor Goodman made his way over to them "where's Agent Carter?"

"Carter's gone home," Jack said as he pulled on his leather jacket and crossed his arms.

"Why are we all stood here?" he asked, turning to look in the direction they were facing "I see," he said as it came to him "how is she?" he turned back to Angela.

Angela shrugged, hugging herself "she's just … she's gonna get Parker taken away from her at this rate," she concluded, "I don't even know how to help her. She won't stop, I don't think she even sleeps when she goes home and the only reason she goes anywhere in outside this building is Parker,"

Doctor Goodman nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I think the only reason she's even eating is because of him and even then it's very little, ever since the social services left her and Parker alone,"

"It's like Parker's he only thing keeping her here," Jack mused shifting from foot to foot when everyone started at him.

"Doctor Brennan," Goodman said she left her office and walked straight past them.

_To catch me when I fall,_

_But you'll need me when I'm not here at all, _

_Miss me when I'm gone again, yeah,_

"What?" she asked, peering down at some files and frowning as she compared them to another set of notes.

"We need to talk," he said, as if he were speaking to skittish young animal.

"I'm a little busy at the moment," she sighed and put all the papers together before putting them down on a near by table and going over to look at the remains on a gurney for about the sixth time in the past two hours.

"Dr. Brennan!" her raised his voice, a commanding tone escaping along with his soft gentle way of speaking.

She stopped, turned round and looked at him, a look of brief concern flitting across her face as he took her elbow and guided her back to her office, leaving Angela, Zack and Jack out in the lab.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think it's time we dropped the case," he said abruptly.

"What?" she cried.

"What I mean is let other cases take priority, there's been nothing knew for three months now Doctor Brennan and every other case has taken second to this one. It's for the best I think," he said, trying to calm her down.

"This is top priority, the other cases are being worked on but this is the most important,"

"Not any more it's not,"

_I'm going down in flames,_

_I'm falling into this again, yeah, _

_I'm going down in flames, _

_I'm falling into this again,_

"Booth is in a coma because of this case and I'm going to solve it if it kills me," her eyes flashing dangerously.

"That's exactly what you are doing" he said, straightening up to his full height "killing yourself, you're not eating, sleeping, you barely leave the office and when you do it's for Parker, who is by the way, going to get taken away if you don't sort your priorities out"

Priorities, that's what it was about, priorities, ight and wrong, do this, do that, fix it, break it. What comes first? What comes second? What's most important?

"Is that a threat?" she asked, her normally, logical, calm way of going about things was thrown due to exhaustion and high caffeine beverages. Her defences having risen to their full glory and every word she spoke coming out with more malice than originally intended.

"No Doctor Brennan it's not. Believe me if you will but driving yourself into the ground is helping no one. What do you think Booth would do if he found you neglecting yourself right now? He took that shot so you wouldn't have to, so you wouldn't have too, so you and Parker could live, not so he could go into care and you could do this to yourself," cruel to be kind, cruel to be kind, cruel to be kind. It was like a mantra going over and over in his head to stop him reaching out to the young woman who stood before him, the strong, driven young woman who at the moment looked like a scared and angry child.

_Don't tell me how life is,_

_Cause I don't really don't want to know, _

_Don't tell me how this game ends, _

_Cause we'll just see how it goes,_

"It doesn't matter what he thinks," she whispered "now go," she said a little more loudly, his eyebrow raised and she added "I need to be alone,"

Goodman nodded and obliged.

She sank down in a chair, now she'd stopped the tiredness was catching up with her, her usual self coming back in a rush, tears following closely. She was just trying to help, trying to get it done and all it seemed she was doing was upsetting everyone and Parker…

A fresh wave of guilt induced nausea hit her, she was neglecting Parker, Parker who she'd sworn to do everything and anything for as long as she lived and beyond that. She was … she pressed the heel of her hand into the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to block everything out; the pain, the guilt, the exhaustion.

The need that was burning inside her like a literal flame, licking at her organs and devouring her heart and lungs, every limb felt like a dead weight, every finger felt like a thousand needles were being pushed into it every time she lifted it. Everything was moving so fast and she couldn't keep up with it.

She straightened up and took a deep breath, no, she was doing the right thing, she was trying to save Booth a man she loved and hated so much it confused even her. It was like she was the boat and he her anchor and without the anchor the boat was drifting out to seam. The links of the chain that attached the anchor to the shop trying desperately to keep hold but not succeeding as they too were swept away in a different direction to them both.

Forcing her eyes open against their will as they tried in desperation to close she looked down at the paperwork, nothing was the same, blood types, Psych history, medical problems, the structure of their families. The only similarity was that all the children were young, nothing else was the same. Nothing else was giving them any clue. If she believed in the fates and in destiny she would have sworn they were all set against her. The thought only drove her harder.

_Catch me when I fall,_

_Or you'll need me when I'm not here at all,_

_Miss me when I'm gone again, yeah,_

"How'd it go?" Angela asked as Goodman rejoined them.

"Not well," he replied seriously.

"She needs someone to kick her up the ass," Jack put in.

"Offering?" Goodman cocked his head to one side at the spore specialist.

"No," he retorted indignantly.

"I think what Hodgins is trying to say is that someone close to her needs to give her the facts straight up, someone she trusts." Zack said lacking his usual long words and technicalities, as Jack then muttered under his breath, much to the disapproval of the African-American archaeologist, he was acting almost human.

"I'll do it," Angela raised a shy hand, wishing more than anything that she wouldn't have too be the one to distress her friend but she countered she hated seeing her seemingly working on autopilot even more.

"Very well Miss Montenegro," Dr. Goodman nodded his agreement and she gave him a weak smile before heading up to Temperance's office.

Her heart fell when she saw that Temperance was once more studying test results, it almost felt like it would break, inside her head she could hear herself screaming, it was agony to see her friend like this, pure unadulterated agony, searing, tearing, crushing, breaking, clawing, cutting. She bit her lip to muffle a small whimper.

"Tempe," she tried softly.

"Angela," came the short reply.

Angela took a seat "how're you feeling?" she asked.

'Fine' Temperance glanced up from the papers in a second "you?"

"I'm…" to hell with beating around the bush "I'm worried about you, we all are," she concluded.

A frown creased her forehead "why?" she asked, looking over the top of the computer monitor as she clicked something on screen.

"You're not sleeping Bren, you're barely eating. You're working yourself to an early grave and that's the last thing Booth would have wanted," she realised the moment she'd said that, that was the wrong thing to say.

_I'm going down in flames,_

_I'm falling into this again, yeah,_

_I'm going down in flames,_

_I'm falling into this again, yeah,_

"He's not dead yet," the cold reply as the computer's soft buzzing stopped when it shut down.

"Bren-"

"You've been talking to Doctor Goodman haven't you?" her eyes narrow and her tone accusatory.

"No…" her guilty glance out the window gave it away though, even when the three men tried to at least look like they were simply chatting but it didn't help when Dr. Goodman and Zack kept glancing at them "look, we're only-"

"Well only, _don't_," she snapped, cocking her head to one side in a state of confusion, did what she just said make sense or did it simply sound petulant? She shrugged and got to her feet.

Silence reigned apart from the rustling of papers, mutterings and the toe of Angela's designer boot tapping on the floor.

Just go, Temperance mentally pleaded, the only time she allowed herself to break down any more, to show anything more than mild disinterest and frustration was when she was alone, she let the dam build, build 'til it reached breaking point. That was easier.

Easier than having to deal with it all the time.

Making herself numb until she could do so no longer, forcing herself to pretend like nothing was wrong, like she wasn't dying on the inside.

If she did that then when the dam broke, when she finally did scream, rant and rave she did it blinded in fury not in mourning. Not in the slow, dull, agonising ache that came with that in such a way that she almost stayed numb when she did let go.

_Now, I'm all the way down here, _

_I'm falling, _

_I'm all the way down here, _

_I'm falling down again,_

"I think Doctor Goodman is right," she said softly and suddenly.

Temperance dropped the file in shock. "What?" She breathed "about dropping the case?"

Angela got to her feet, "Not dropping it just letting other cases come first,"

Temperance bent down to pick up the file and once the papers were gathered once more she went and placed them on the desk "that's not going to happen,"

"You're hurting yourself," Angela pleaded, tears stinging her eyes and dark curls falling from her ponytail to gather round her face, framing it gently "Just-"

"You just want to abandon the case?' Pretend like none of this happened? That there isn't a child living in my apartment that is as good orphaned? That one of our best friends is lying in a coma in the hospital? That each and every one of us still has nightmares about that night?"

'I'm just suggesting that we move on, accept it! You have always told me that to be driven by rage is to be driven by obsession and that in itself can kill you and… look at yourself will you?" she cried in earnest "just look at yourself, look at what you're doing!"

"Ange-"

"Just do it Bren! For once just do it! For once just accept the fact that your way of dealing with things is hurting everyone, not one of us can deal 'til you do and that's what we want to do! To deal, to move on, to accept"

The dam was breaking; emotions rushing forth, the room was so small, closing in, the walls trying to crush them. The ceiling coming down as the floor went up, the oxygen levels suddenly dipping.

"Don't you get it?" she said her voice thick and heavy with unshed tears "I see that face in everything I do, everywhere I turn, every time I close my eyes I see him but I don't. He's just out of reach and he haunts my every waking moment, I can see the gun, the look of insanity in his eyes but I can't, I don't know who he is, his name, where he's from. The only damned thing I know about this man is his MO and that isn't good enough! So I have to do this, it's the only way it doesn't hurt,"

"You have to hurt," Angela said "you have to hurt to live, it makes us real. It stops us from doing this," she gestured to Temperance "does that feel good? Does the sudden rush make it that much easier to deal with? Because you're not dealing sweetie you're making it worse and worse and every time you open your eyes you will see him but every time you will come to realise that he's not there. Please just give it up Bren. You're scaring me,"

_I'm falling down,_

_I'm falling down, _

_I'm falling down,_

Temperance turned her back and shook her head, ignore her, don't let it in, it's not right, she's wrong, she's wrong, she's wrong! She was howling on the inside, a high pitched keening desperate to escape her chest. The tears forcing themselves from her eyes making them hurt even more but she refused to give in, she wouldn't let her resolve slip, let it be dissolved by disobedient tears but God forbid that it slip.

Angela took a step forward "is this really worth-"

"Don't you dare," Temperance whirled round to face her, the rims of her eyes and her cheeks pink from trying to hold back earth shattering sobs, her eyes narrowed in fury and disbelief "don't you dare tell me he isn't worth it,"

"He wouldn't want you too-" Angela began desperately, Temperance was worked into such a state it was terrifying.

"What _he_ wants? It doesn't matter what he wants Angela, he may not be dead but he is unconscious. He is in a coma and I have to find the guy that put him in it because if I don't… If I don't…"

"I know it's hard, it's hard for all of us but the point is that we have a job to do-"

"And I'm trying to do that job. We haven't left a case this big before. We haven't just stopped looking because our murderer has stopped killing. He is a serial killer. He has slaughtered entire families and he's done it more than once. I am not just gonna sit here and let him get away with it," her tone was final, a tone that before Angela had never argued with but it was different this time, so very different. Time to be harsh. Be cruel to be kind.

"Bren, listen to me,"

Temperance opened her mouth to interrupt but was silenced by her friend's sharp tone. The warm smile that usually lit up the young woman's face was almost gone, eyes usually sparkling with joy and sheer playfulness that only Angela could have and still seem mature and responsible were now sharp and insistent.

"It has been three months. Three months since he went comatose and there is absolutely no sign of him waking up, ever. You know that, I know that, Hodgins, Zack, even Doctor Goodman, they all know it and hard as it is they have accepted it. I'm not suggesting that you go and forget about him, God no,"

"This guy hasn't killed since Rebecca and we are no closer to finding him now than we were then. Our responsibility is too put the people we can catch behind bars. I'm sorry Brennan but I think it's time we left this case behind," her voice had a sense of finality to it but Temperance wasn't ready to accept that. Nothing would be final. Not until everything was normal again.

Was that really too much to ask? Of course it was, no one has anything, everything, nothing, one second someone could have to world and the next they're left empty handed and penniless on a street corner. Asking for a life was like asking the world; it wouldn't happen.

Their murderer obviously believed in an eye for an eye only what 'eye' was Booth's life paying for? And Rebecca's, her own, Parker's, Angela's, Zack's, Hodgins', everyone's. What could be so special that someone would destroy so much?

_I'm going down in flames, _

_I'm falling into this again, _

_I'm going down in flames, _

_I'm falling into this again, _

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I want to live my life, solve the cases but I can't okay? Our responsibility is to save civilians, mine is to save Booth. I have to find the man who took Booth away, I have too because if I don't then I'm not sure I can do this any longer. I need to do this, if not for you, or for Goodman, Booth or Parker, for me. It's what I need," she pointed earnestly at herself.

"I have never felt so helpless before, ever, not even when I was tied up in that warehouse with starving dogs and a serial killer, or when I was locked in a cell and threatened regularly with death. Without Booth here, awake, within my sight. Throwing insults, being sarcastic, being _him_ I don't know what to do with myself I think I love him Ange, I can't just have him taken away."

"Call it closure, call it insanity, whatever you wanna call it, call it. But for me it's feeling that little less guilty, that little more in control. I feel like I'm dying here Ange, like a part of me is in a coma too and I don't know how to wake it up. There are so many things I'm unsure about right now and I have to focus on something because I'm floundering here."

"I'm lost and all I want to do is wake up, all I want is for it to be some horrific dream' her voice was quiet and catching in her throat as she choked out her rant, 'why can't it be a dream?" she sobbed "why is it real?"

Angela felt her own tears fall without permission from her, rushing down her cheeks in mourning for an agent and in empathy for a friend, she stepped cautiously forward, before pulling the nigh on hysterical anthropologist into her arms.

"Ple-ase," Temperance sobbed "ple-ase!" she clutched at Angela's jacket desperately, wringing the soft material in her hands so tight it may tear.

Angela didn't know what Temperance was pleading for or with and so simply began to rock gently, anything to soothe Temperance because she was struggling to breathe, she could feel her friend trembling so hard in her embrace that she would probably have fallen over without her support.

Temperance stood in the circle of her friend's arms for a long time, her eyes closing in exhaustion as Angela rocked her and shushed her like one would a small child. She hadn't been held like this is so long, yes she'd had lovers, yes she'd hugged people but this was different. This wasn't because it was greeting or because she was comforting, or even because she and her lover were basking in a post-orgasmic-glow. This was because she was the comforted not the comforter.

Her cell phone's sharp ringing broke through the silence and she pulled away in an almost drugged fashion as she tried to reawaken her body as it seemed to think that stopping meant a long-awaited-rest.

"Hello?" She croaked; her throat felt like it was torn.

She wiped the tear tracks from her face with her jacket sleeve. Her voice sounded choked, almost nasal, the very proof that she hadn't cried that hard in a very, very long time.

"Hello is this Doctor Temperance Brennan?"

"It is," she replied, now wiping her eyes themselves free of stray tears "who is this?'

_Now, I'm all the way down here, _

_I'm falling, _

_All the way, _

_All the way down here,_

_I'm falling down again now I'm falling down,_

"This is Doctor Adams. I need you to come down to the hospital. There's a decision I need you to make,"


	9. Call from the Devil

_Disclaimer: That's right folks! We got another song chapter! XD this time it's to Bring me to Life by Evanescence which is another ya-gotta-get-into-her-head song. Lol._

_Author's Notes: Wow I'm writing fast! Lol, I don't expect it to last though! Next chapter'll be hard to write I know that much! I'd only just put Chapter 7 up when I started writing this!._

Chapter 9: Call from the Devil

Temperance stood there in shock, her whole body felt like jelly, like it was disintegrating. Like a vampire a stake to the heart was turning her to dust.

That's what those words were.

Like a stake to the heart.

Like her chest was open and everything was pouring out, she was bleeding and no one could see. No one could hear her screaming, crying, and begging and everyone just ignored it. Like she didn't matter.

The room was spinning and the air was hot and hard to inhale, the floor was shaking violently and she trembled in horror.

Angela glanced at her and then back to Doctor Adams "so you're saying there isn't a chance?" she asked her voice high and pain filled.

Doctor Adams gave her a grave look then glanced back at Temperance who had backed against the wall and had slid to the floor, her knees hugged to her chest as she stared forward: _"Not a chance…"_

"It's been three months and there is no change, no improvement, it seems there could possibly be damage to the brain from the extensive blood loss, but the swelling just isn't going down enough to proof that right or wrong, but everything else says that there is. I seriously doubt that there is any chance that he will wake up. I'm sorry miss."

"Get out," Temperance spat from her position on the floor "get out,"

"I am truly sorry. The decision of course lies with you and you certainly don't have to make it now," Dr. Adams nodded his sympathies and left the room.

Angela knelt down near Temperance "are you okay?"

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors? _

_Leading you down into my core, _

_Where I've become so numb,_

Temperance ignored her, staring straight ahead, silent tears slipping down her cheeks, down the column of her throat and into her white shirt. Dampening the collar.

"Tempe," Angela tried again.

"They're wrong," Temperance replied a few moments later in a hoarse whisper "they're wrong. He will wake up,"

"Sweetie, the doctor's just said; he's not going too," she put a hand on her back gently, rubbing a few small circles there.

Temperance shied away "he is," she said, a slightly insane smile crossing her lips 'he is'

Angela shook her head "you don't have to decide now,"

Temperance's head shot round to look at her "decide? Ange what is there to decide? We are not turning that machine off!"

Angela opened her mouth to try and make her hysterical friend see reason but was cut off as Temperance got to her feet "no Ange, don't. He will wake up. You'll see," with that she left the room too, walking briskly through the reception and past Dr. Adams as he collected some files from the receptionist.

"Temperance-" he began but stopped as she went straight through the double doors of the entrance and into the parking lot, Angela on her heels, shooting him an apologetic look as she passed.

"Tempe!" Angela called, trying her best to run in heels.

Temperance whirled round "you seriously think I'm going to turn it of? That I'm gonna kill him? Because if so you're wrong, so very wrong, if I say do it then that makes me no better than the bastard who shot him and I am. I'm better than that dammit!" she was calming down from her hysteria straight into a vortex of swirling emotions, claws grabbing and dragging at her, cutting and slicing, making her bleed and cry tears of thick, red blood.

Blood. Everything was about that now wasn't it? Blood.

Blood to live,

Blood to die.

Blood to bleed.

Blood to cry.

Blood to make the world go round and make the clock tick. It's what caused pain and tears. What made you sick to your gut no matter how many times you saw it.

You should never see blood. It's supposed to stay beneath the skin, out of sight, the only proof that it exists of the tiny blue veins that run just beneath the surface. It's not supposed to pour forth like a river from open wounds, staining the carpets and the furniture, the floor, the clothes. Innocent eyes.

_Without a soul, _

_My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold, _

_Until you find it there and lead it back home,_

The ceiling was ivory and the bed sheets blue, deep blue; the bedside lamp bathed the room in a soft glow, almost warm. It seemed _almost_ perfect.

But it wasn't.

Booth was gone. Out of touch. Out of reach. Out of sight.

You could see his body and watch his chest rise and fall steady and hard, unnatural but moving. You could hear the beeping that indicated his heartbeat and you could touch flesh and bone, skin, hair. But you could not touch _him_.

The doctors said he was gone, that nothing would bring him back but he had too, he had too come back.

_Wake me up, _

_Wake me up inside, _

_I can't wake up, _

_Wake me up inside, _

_Save me, _

_Call my name and save me from the dark,_

He was comatose. She was sleeping. He wasn't there. She wasn't either. He died, she died. Simple as that.

Ever since her parent's disappearance she had sworn never to rely on someone, she was independent, she was her, no one got closer than she wanted and no one got close enough.

No one touched, no one spoke, no one meant a thing more than she intended. How was it that Booth, a cocky, street smart, sarcastic FBI agent with a hero complex had gotten into her heart? Had got himself so damn close that he was a part of her? She certainly hadn't let him. At least not whilst knowing it.

Zack and Dr. Goodman had asked what was wrong when they returned to the lab; she'd sat in her office once more, downing yet another cup of coffee, taking a deep breath and working at least twice as hard as before the phone call as Angela had explained.

Even Jack now seemed concerned about her.

"_Um … Dr. Brennan … how you feeling?" Jack asked, he sounded like her genuinely cared, if the staring at his feet and shuffling them were any indication._

She knew now. Knew that he cared that he understood, that he didn't think this something normal, something day to day. This had hit him as hard as the rest of them and even his, insensitive-about-everyone-else way of dealing with it was being affected by her desperate attempts at trying to save Booth. He had even gotten to the point of showing concern.

"_You know… You know if you need me to do anything…"_

"_I know Jack," she'd addressed him with his first name in all seriousness "and thank you"_

She sniffled slightly, glancing to her right where Parker was curled up in the bed also. After his first night with her he had begged her to stay in the bed with him every night for nearly two weeks. She had finally just gotten straight in at bedtime and he had given her a broad grin of accomplishment, almost like he had some sort of plan and that was only the beginning. Now she thought about it…

_Wake me up,_

_Bid my blood to run, _

_I can't wake up,_

_Before I come undone, _

_Save me, _

_Save me from the nothing I've become,_

Temperance couldn't stifle a smile when it finally dawned on her, Parker. Booth. The similarities, each knew how to play someone to get precisely what they wanted. All Parker had to do these past three months was flash perfect puppy dog eyes at her–Booth's eyes, Booth's puppy dog eyes, God what if she never saw them again?–And she gave in.

Had she said no even once since he'd come to live with her? He'd been given ice cream, McDonald's at least once a week and had even been able to play soccer with a variety of different skulls in the lab and all he'd received was a whispered 'don't do that again' and nothing more was said.

Although she had to give it to him, he didn't abuse his 'power' over her, he came straight out of school and into whoever was collecting him that night's arms. Waited patiently in her office more than once as she worked well into the evening then helped her make dinner or if it were take out he wasn't overly fussy about what he ate. Like every small child he was apprehensive about anything green.

She'd even gotten up the morning after the visit from social services to be greeted by a strange smell coming from the kitchen. Terrified she'd dashed in there only to have to grab the door jamb to keep from falling over when she saw the kitchen covered from ceiling to floor in flour, eggs, chocolate sprinkles, ice cream and God only knows what else he'd managed to find.

* * *

_He cocked his head to one side and frowned at first before grinning at her. Parker was stood on a chair which he had moved so he could reach the top, a mixing bowl cradled in the crook of his arm containing what could only be described as a green-brown gooey mess. A wooden spoon sticking out of said mess and into the hand of the child that seemed to be covered in even more ingredients than what the bowl held._

"_Breakfast!" he declared when he realised what she was laughing at, he'd then put the bowl down on the top and jumped down, grabbing the only item in the kitchen that seemed to be un touched by the hands of the four-year-old and walked carefully. Watching whatever the cup held so as to not spill it before giving it to her "coffee!"_

_She looked at the substance cautiously, unsure of whatever was in it until the look of impatience on his face had forced her to take a sip. She gagged instantly but managed to swallow it, eyes watering and her nose stinging "what's in it?" she stammered with a fake smile._

"_Coffee!" he repeated._

_She looked at it, and tipped the mug slightly. At least half of the mug was full of un dissolved instant coffee granules, from a container that she noticed was half open on the side. It had been in the very back of the cupboard, cold water it seemed had been used then there was the 'froth' on the top. She pointed and asked him what it was._

"_Bubbles," he replied, it was almost as if he were trying to refrain from rolling his eyes "daddy sometimes had them on his coffee,"_

_Her stomach had rolled then, not at the thought of what he could have used for the "bubbles" barely any time at all and Parker was already speaking of his father in past tense, she doubted even he realised._

"_What… what did you use?" She choked out, set on trying to remain normal, for those few minutes before the mention of Booth she'd been able to forget about it, about everything._

_He ran over to the sink and pulled a bottle from the water, which it was submerged in and held it up; washing up liquid._

_She had then wasted no time in putting the coffee down and later tipping it away when its creator wasn't looking._

_

* * *

_

After much more laughter, and at least doubling the mess that had originally been made she had then insisted that he take a bath and whilst he was in there she had sworn that she would never, ever again hear him speak of his father in the past tense.

That's what drove her.

One word. One word from the mouth of a tiny child was all it took, was the spark that lit the fuse.

_Now that I know what I'm without, _

_You can't just leave me, _

_Breathe into me and make me real, _

_Bring me, _

_To life, _

She needed him. She needed Booth like she needed air, water, food. Needed him nothing she had ever imagined before.

Every day, every single day that she had worked with him she had wondered at least once what life would be like without him now she knew … now she knew all she wanted was for him to come back. Now her days were filled with wonder of what it would feel like to hear his voice one last time, to see his eyes open, feel his arms round her, his lips on hers … where had that come from?

Parker shifted in his sleep, rolling over to face her, the duvet covering him right up to his eyes, whose lids were flickering slightly as he dreamt.

Or a nightmare.

She couldn't sleep. She wanted too, wanted too so badly she hurt but she couldn't.

The first few nights after her decision she had suffered from almost chronic insomnia now it was the fear of nightmare that held her awake.

_Wake me up, _

_Wake me up inside, _

_I can't wake up, Wake me up inside, _

_Save me, _

_Call my name and save me from the dark, _

_Wake me up,_

She hadn't been lying when she'd said to Angela she could see him, their guy, every time she closed her eyes. Every dream was more vivid, more real, the few times she had managed to fall into slumber due to her body reaching breaking point or far, far too many sleeping pills she'd woken in a cold sweat, sobbing even in her sleep, clutching the pillow tightly.

One time, one time Parker had woken and seen her and his gentle stroking of her hair had been one the thing that had broken her out of it. Parker, the child, the boy, the infant had been comforting her in the throes of a self created torture, that in itself had caused her to feel humiliated and all he'd done is imitate one of the many things she did to him to comfort him.

_Bid my blood to run, _

_I can't wake up,_

_Before I come undone, _

_Save me, _

_Save me from the nothing I've become,_

Today. Today she'd been asked to turn off the machine. Too end the life of a man that she had loved, that feeling in her chest, in her gut, in every point of her being. That feeling that swept over her every time he entered a room, looked at her, spoke to her, the one that she had given up trying to identify about four months after meeting him. That was love. The doctor had, had the nerve to ask her to kill the man she loved.

The way she saw it was that it didn't matter if his chances of waking up were slim there was still a chance no matter what. If she turned it off, flicked the switch, pulled the plug, did whatever she had to do end it then she was eliminating any chance he had, for as long as she believed, as long as she loved him he had a chance. And she would love him 'til the ends of time.

Lesley Carter wasn't helping matters; he let himself into her office at all hours, rummaged through her things. Had even tried to start an argument over the fact one of the drawers in her desk was full of colouring books and crayons. He had then mixed up half her case files so Parker had had to go and stay with Angela for the night because she was there until two AM sorting them out again. When she'd challenged him he'd simply smirked at her and walked away.

_Bring me to life, _

_I've been living a lie..._

_There's nothing inside, _

_Bring me to life,_

Parker was five next month, five, and if Booth didn't wake up… he would! She insisted to herself! He will, he'll be there, there's no need to be concerned, the doctor's know nothing, nothing. Swelling and brain damage, probability and chances. None of it meant a thing. Love is stronger than that. Love is stronger than anything else. Booth wouldn't miss his son's birthday.

_Frozen inside without your touch, _

_Without your love, darling, _

_Only you are the life among the dead,_

She needed to sleep, she had a case to work, a lab to run. A child to care for.

Had Doctor Goodman been right? Was she working too hard? Temperance tried hard to remember the last time she'd spent any quality time with Parker, the boy she was obsessed with, the boy who was her reason, her reason for everything, living, breathing, talking, moving. Being anything other than the dead man she felt she was.

Dead.

Dead and blood.

The two words that ruled her life far more than usual.

The corridor was dark, dimly lit by one flickering over head, light. Trolleys containing linen and medical resources lined the walls as she made her way down it.

* * *

The door to Booth's room was wide open and wincing at how load the noise of her heels clipping against the floor was she entered. Booth lay on the bed, all machinery gone, the beeping no longer sounding as his chest rose and fell on its own. His eyes we closed and his arms lay flat against his sides, his tanned skin and dark hair in stark contrast with crisp white sheets he was lying on and the light blue hospital gown he sported.

Glancing behind her into the silent corridor she took a step forwards and looked down when she felt herself slip slightly.

She was standing in a puddle of blood, red, finger like tendrils creeping their way between the tiles, she lifted one foot slightly before putting it back down again, her eyes moving as if automatically to a body on the floor a few feet away with its back to her.

_All of this I, I cant believe I couldn't see, _

_Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me,_

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems, _

_Got to open my eyes to everything,_

A small body.

A small body with dark blonde hair.

She hurried over to the body the blood was seeping from, crouched down and rolled it onto its back. A guttural whimper escaped. Parker.

Staring at eyes closed in a slumber he would never wake for barely a second long she promptly turned to the side and threw up, retching again and again, breaths tearing at her chest as her throat closed up against any and all air. Parker, it was Parker.

A noise coming from near the bed made her look up, her arms wrapped round her spasming abdomen and looking through damp eyelashes.

A man. _The_ man. Dressed from head to toe in black, a balaclava masking his face bar his eyes, cold, dead eyes, eyes showing no mercy, no care, nothing other than the manic need to maim and murder, hunt and kill.

_Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul,_

_Dont let me die here,_

_It most be something wrong,_

_Bring me to life,_

Eyes that she recognised and remembered. Eyes that were haunted by the spirits of victims killed at his hand, spirits that had no effect on the need, the love. Murder and pain. It was his aphrodisiac, he loved to hurt people, to make them bleed, to see their blood, hear them scream for mercy and forgiveness, in agony and despair before finally whimpering then silencing in defeat as his torture came to an end.

Eyes that belonged to…

He leered at her, a knife blade glinting in the light above Booth's bed, next to which he was stood, a sharp chuckle that brought that blade straight to her gut before the knife was plunged into Booth's sleeping form, over and over, stabbing and cutting, slicing, breaking, tearing. Blood flooding and splattering over the floor the sheets, the walls, everything. How could one person hold so much blood? More importantly how could any one like that so much?

Why did it always come down to blood?

_Wake me up, _

_Wake me up inside, _

_I can't wake up, Wake me up inside, _

_Save me, _

_Call my name and save me from the dark,_

Her stomach clenched and spasmed again but she had nothing in her to bring up, she screamed long and loud but could not move, it was like she glued to the spot, paralysed in fear and shock.

Laughter filled the room, echoing of the walls and drilling into her head, her ears, no part of her being was free from the torturous laughter that came with the sound of a sharpened blade slicing through cotton, linen, flesh and blood.

_Wake me up,_

_Bid my blood to run, _

_I can't wake up,_

_Before I come undone, _

_Save me, Save me from the nothing I've become,_

All she could do was watch as he finally finished mutilating the body of the FBI agent then just stare at him with eyes as dead as those of the two people she loved more than anything in the world as they lay beaten and bloody in front of her. He drew out the gun; the barrel glinting in the light like his eyes did with glee.

She stared at the gun, into the dark abyss where from the bullet would fly. She watched as he cocked it, and watched, unmoving, without making a sound as he pulled the trigger. And finally she watched as the bullet came flying towards her and only at the last second did she howl in anguish, only then did she let the world know her pain.

* * *

Temperance sat up suddenly and abruptly, tears streaming down her face, her chest heaving and her entire body shaking. Her hair was hanging limp, sticking to her neck and face in the cold sweat she had broken into.

"Bones?" a tiny voice, asked from the corner of the bed "Bones what's wrong?"

She looked at him; his eyes wide with concern and half covered in the cat that had some how found its way into the bedroom.

_Bring me to life, _

_I've been living a lie... _

_There's nothing inside,_

_Bring me to life,_

She let out a choked sob of relief and dived down next to Parker, hugging him too her and burying her face in his hair as she held him close. Parker did not make a sound only pressed himself closer in an attempt to comfort his carer, his friend, his parent. His Bones.

_Please Review! _

_Oh and this may seem totally random but I can't write the next chapter 'til I know, does Dr. Goodman have kids? I think he does but I can't remember clearly and if so do we know their names? And ages? Someone PLEASE let me know! _


	10. Significant Numbers

_Disclaimer: I do not own … Wait a sec! Yeah I do! I own all of Parker's friends! Ryan, Jake, Jessie, Melissa, Billy and Will! I own them all! Yay and they not stuck up sons-of-bitches like Carter! Yay me! Even if they are barely in it!_

_Author's Notes: I know it seems like a keep skipping time a lot which yeah okay I am but I think its working okay because if I didn't keep doing that this fik would become so very boring so very fast if I didn't. There will only be one more time jump after this I promise!_

_Thank you all for your quick responses to my question at the end of the last chapter. As the general consensus seems to be that Dr. Goodman has twin girls at the age of five I have decided to go with that because it fits. Also as names are unclear I have decided to call the Micheala and Aly._

_This is quite possibly cheesy, cliché and any other word that could possibly go with that but I was begged so I decided I would – the more angst the better! XD_

Chapter 10: Significant Numbers

"What're you doing for your birthday then young man?" Doctor Goodman asked, crouching down in front of the child who was breathless from being chased round the lab by Zack as the grad student tried to salvage the fifth rib of a seventeenth century skeleton from him. Needless to say Zack had lost the battle.

"Havin' party," Parker replied, watching in distaste as the archaeologist ended his game by slowly extricating the rib from his hand and handing it to an exasperated and breathless Zack.

"And who's coming to that then?" Goodman poked him in the stomach and Parker grinned and squirmed away.

"Everyone"

"Everyone?" Doctor Goodman asked in mock surprise "and who is everyone?"

"Angela and Zack and Jack and Bones o'course," he counted them off on his fingers "Ryan and Jake from school, Jessie, Melissa, Billy and Will," he declared happily.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Temperance called over as she looked up from replacing the rib that Zack had returned to her, she was itching to get back to the other cases but this had to be done.

Parker tilted his head to one side "oh yeah!" he turned back to Goodman "Would you like to come to my party?" he asked politely and grinning.

Goodman looked up at Temperance pleased to see she had a smile, even it was a weak and faint one on her face before looking back to Parker who was watching him avidly.

"When is it?"

"This aft'rnoon," Parker replied "at four o'clock." He gestured with his hands "when the big hand is at twelve' he reached above his head and then little hand is at the four," he put his hand down in the general direction of where the four would be if he were a clock.

"It is," Goodman praised as Parker put his hands down by his sides again.

"So come?" he asked before adding "please?"

Doctor Goodman nodded "I should think I'd be able to come,"

"Yay!" Parker clapped his hands together in delight.

Goodman got to his feet again and looked at Temperance as she looked at the fracture patterning on the pelvis "shall I bring the girls?"

"If you want they're more than welcome," she frowned slightly as she pulled off her latex gloves.

He nodded.

"What's going on here then?" Carter entered the lab, swiping his card as he jumped the steps in one.

Temperance stiffened and rolled her eyes before throwing her gloves in the trash. "Parker you've gotta stay here for a little while okay?" She leant over to get down to his height "if you're good Angela might draw you another picture or Doctor Goodman might show you some more interesting things in his office." she glanced up at the archaeologist at this point who nodded agreeably.

"Why? Where are you off too?" Carter frowned in disagreement.

"To the store," she replied curtly taking off her lab coat and going to hang it up.

Carter made a noise of disbelief "you can't just leave in the middle of a case!" he exclaimed following her.

As she left her office and hooked her bag onto her shoulder she leaned into his personal space and certified him with a rather venomous "watch me,"

"She can… she can't just… just… she can't just leave!" Carter stammered.

"Actually she can Agent Carter' Dr. Goodman said, his hands clasped behind his back 'she has something important to do'

"What could possibly be more important than identifying human remains?" Carter sneered, going to stand in front of Dr. Goodman.

"She's gone to go and get Parker's birthday cake," Zack said absently as matched two splintered bone fragments together and then sliding them into place with the rest of the now reconstructed skull.

"And again I say; what couldn't possibly be more important?"

"Thank you Mr. Addy," Dr. Goodman sighed before turning back to the offending Agent. "Miss Montenegro is more than capable of sketching on her own. Doctor Hodgins has three PhDs so I'd say he's more than qualified to work without a supervisor and Mr. Addy is a highly intelligent Grad student who has all the supervision he could possibly need whilst Doctor Brennan runs a quick errand,"

"That's not the point-"

"That is more than the point and far more than you need to know, now," he bent down to Parker's level once more. The boy was stood next to him watching Carter with a look of childlike dislike on his face as he glowered at him "how's about I show you some more of the artefacts we have here at the Jeffersonian?"

Parker nodded and without taking his eyes of Carter took the larger man's hand and allowed himself to be lead out of the lab.

* * *

"Heya sweetie," Angela said brightly coming into the kitchen, her dark blue skirt swishing about her calves as her white shoes clipped the tiled floor quietly "how's it going?" she hopped up to sit on the top and swung her legs against the cabinet doors beneath. 

Temperance gave her a smile, the underlying tone of it pained and almost angry. Angela mirrored it "Parker and his friends seem to have formed some sort of army against Zack,"

Temperance stepped back a little to see into the lounge and her smile became more genuine as Zack gave her a pleading look as half a dozen five year olds backed him against the wall armed with balloons and streamers.

"Ya got anything stronger than a soda?" Jack came into he kitchen, still sporting his leather jacket.

"It's a kids party," Angela raised an eyebrow at him, her jaw dropping slightly as Temperance, in search of a soda for herself reached to the back of the fridge and threw him a bottle of beer "Tempe!" she scolded.

"Just don't leave the kitchen with that," Temperance warned him before going to rescue her assistant from the children.

He nodded in agreement before popping the top and taking a swig.

"Thank you Doctor Brennan," Zack panted as the 'army' released him "is there something wrong?"

"No problem," she replied quietly in response to both, giving Parker a smile when he held up the large fire truck he'd been given by Ryan "no problem at all,"

Zack nodded but watched her apprehensively as he went to the kitchen in search of refreshment as being the prey of five-year-old predators took a lot more out of you than would originally be anticipated.

Temperance went over to a chair and sat down, watching as Parker tore present after present open. The one thought that came running through her mind was Booth should be here.

He should see the look on his son's face as he laughed and played with his friends, as he opened presents. As he lived his life.

They grow up so fast, so, so fast and Booth was missing it. It made her feel like a thief.

She got to watch a boy that had no connection to her other than 'friend of daddy's' grow up, laugh and play.

She wasn't supposed to be the one that got up when he had nightmares or couldn't sleep.

She wasn't supposed to be the one that cared for him when he got sick. Who ran out at the middle of the night to get couch mixture or to his mom's place to collect an until-then-forgotten teddy bear?

Booth was supposed to do that, not her.

He took that shot so she wouldn't have too and now she was stealing every precious moment he could have had with his son. That Rebecca could have had.

Why? Why had he done it? He had a family, he had people that missed him, loved him, needed him.

She? Her parents were long since missing, possibly dead, she had no lover, no child. She had her job that was it. No one to love her. No one to need her.

She hadn't, at least before Parker, had a television, hadn't watched the shows and movies that he so often made references to.

But then again if she were a thief for stealing every moment that she had that Booth deserved what did that make his attacker?

His attacker stole lives.

She stole moments, days that turned to weeks, weeks that turned to months but she wasn't stealing lives.

That was the difference.

Roaring laughter and hysterical giggles broke through er reverie and she looked up and even she couldn't hold back a small laugh when she saw Dr. Goodman stood in the doorway dressed as a-

"Clown! Daddy's a clown!" Micheala cried as she and her sister ran into the room, each clad in purple and pink party dresses, braided hair in pigtails tied with ribbons to match their dresses.

Doctor Goodman however, looked less than pleased at his attire; the suit was red with blue cuffs and green and yellow circles decorating it, the trademark large shoes and red nose with a hat to match the suit. A glare at Parker was all it took for Temperance to realise who his outfitter was.

"Clown! Clown!" Will screamed, "there's a clown!"

Jack rolled his eyes from the doorway of the kitchen where he leaned on the doorjamb, tapping the neck of the bottle with the back of a fingernail.

Angela was grinning and then burst into a fit of laughter when she saw Zack's face. His jaw was dropped and his eyes wide as he stared at Doctor Goodman.

"You look almost human when you do that," Jack mused glancing to his right where Zack was stood.

Realising he was gaping Zack blushed slightly and closed his mouth, muttering.

"Balloon animal!" Jessie called out "make balloon animal!"

Sighing in acceptance of his roll as the literal clown Dr. Goodman nodded. "Sit down," he ordered "sit down, Aly come over here," he called his daughter away from a low set of shelves that held some rather expensive looking items, why on earth Temperance had left something like that within children's reach at a birthday party he had no idea.

As Doctor Goodman began blowing up balloons and twisting and folding them until they resembled the animal each child had requested Temperance got up and went into the kitchen as Angela, Zack and Jack made their way out, Jack wisely leaving his half finished beer in the kitchen.

She went over to the side and leaned forward over it, tucking her head down and breathing deeply, she wasn't going to cry. Tears would not fall today. This was Parker's day. This was the one-day that Parker would get even a fragment of everything he deserved because that boy was special. That boy deserved everything he wanted and so much more only the one thing that he wanted, the one thing she knew how much it felt like to ache in longing for she could not give.

The one thing he needed was out of reach.

Cake. That would help, make sure the cake is okay, are the candles in the cupboard? Is there a lighter around?

All checked and accounted for within about five minutes she was left again, to think.

No! She mustn't think, not about Booth, about how he should be here, how she wanted more than anything for him to walk through that door, how Parker shouldn't be sat in the corner alone, silent tears running down his face, how she–

She was out of the kitchen faster than she thought possible.

"Parker?" she crouched in front of him, giving Dr. Goodman a nod to continue that she had it, that she had everything under control… control, she needed it, loved it, thrived on it, nothing was in her control… no dammit! This is Parker's day! "Honey, why don't you come with me a minute?"

He wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve and nodded, reaching up for her to lift him as Goodman kept his friends occupied, even Temperance's colleagues seemed enthralled by how quickly and efficiently the man could make any manner of balloon animals.

She carried him through to her bedroom and at down on the bed, him seated sideways on her lap. He leant against her, his head tucked under her chin, his thumb creeping closer to his mouth as he twisted and wrenched at the cuffs of his sweater. Temperance opened her mouth to say something but closed it again shortly after.

What could she say? I'm sorry your mom's dead and your dad's as good as? I'm sorry that every day is now a chore for me? I'm sorry that I can't be who you want me to be?

'I'm sorry' wasn't enough, it never would be.

How often had she wondered with every fibre of her being what would have happened had Booth gone into the bathroom and found Parker in there? Would she be the one in a coma? Would she have taken the shot? She didn't know, she hadn't a clue.

Booth had.

Booth hadn't even thought.

He'd seen someone with a gun and immediately thrown himself in front of them. Because he loved Parker. It was far too much to hope for that Booth loved her too. Far, far too much.

Did she love him enough to take that shot?

Yes.

A thousand times over she would take that shot if only Booth was awake. Alive. With Parker.

"I want daddy to be here," he said softly, his voice thick with tears "why can't daddy be here?"

Her heart was breaking in two, he sounded so desperate. For so long he'd tried to understand, tried to pretend like he was fine. For so long she hadn't had to answer a question she herself was asking.

For so long the words 'He's not going to wake up' had been echoing round her head, haunting her every moment.

"He's asleep," she replied, mentally kicking herself. Asleep? How long was she going to lie to herself for? Lie to him? Booth wasn't asleep. He was as good as dead. The only thing between him and the thereafter was wires and plugs, machines and pipes.

One pull of the plug, one flick of the switch would end it. That's all that was keeping him with them and even then he wasn't with them as such. He was lying in a hospital bed whether knowing or not of what was going on around him. If he could hear them, God if he could hear them…

"He's been asleep for ages!" Parker sobbed "I want him to wake up! Why won't he wake up?"

"I don't… I don't know" she stammered.

"He should be awake! I want him to be awake!" he buried his face into Temperance's shirt "Why won't he wake up?" he repeated again and again sobbing and crying, pleading, begging and sniffling.

Her jaw set.

Booth should be able to hear them, he should be able to know what was happening, and damn him if this didn't work.

She stood up, sitting Parker on her hip and picking her car keys up of the dresser.

"We'll be back," she said as she carried the still crying Parker out of the house. The slamming of the front door deafening in a now silent apartment as each person in there stared at the door then each other, questioning eyes and shocked expressions decorating everyone's faces as many scenarios ran through each adults minds before finally settling on one word.

Booth.

_Thanks to me checking my emails when I got in from school and finding the amazing amount of reviews there I managed to get inspired enough to write this. So thank you, and please keep reviewing! XD. I'm as desperate to finish writing this as you all seem to be to read it. XD. As I said REVIEW!_

_Chapter 11 is already started!_


	11. Sounds in Silence

_Disclaimer: This song belongs to Ronan Keating and is called I will miss you._

_Author's Notes: This chapter was soooo hard to write! I've even already written chapter 12, 13 and am working on 14!_

Chapter 11: Sounds in Silence.

No one moved.

No one made a sound.

It could have been seconds but was most probably minutes before anyone spoke.

"I'm going after her" Angela said, taking her keys out of her pocket and heading for the door.

"I'm coming too," Zack added following her.

If she was surprised Angela didn't show it as Zack got in the passenger seat as she got in the driver's. As he did up his seatbelt she started the engine and twirled the wheel lightly beneath her fingers, pulling out and heading down the road.

* * *

Temperance stood at the foot of Booth's face. In sleep he looked … not innocent, at peace, relaxed, without worry or care.

"Can daddy hear us?" Parker asked, his tears had stopped although the tracks remained until Temperance wiped them away.

"I… I don't know. Maybe,"

"Have you smushed your lips yet?" he asked in a whisper, even with him so close to her ear she had to strain to hear it.

She frowned in confusion "what?"

"Like the prince and the sad girl,"

The prince and the sad girl, or course. The fairytale only life wasn't a fairytale.

_I thought that I,_

_Was like an island,_

_Guess I was wrong,_

_Guess I was wrong,_

"No," she answered truthfully "no I haven't,"

He wriggled so that she put him down and gave her an expectant look "do it,"

"Parker I don't think…"

"When the prince smushed lips with the princess' the princess she woke up after bein' sleep for a hundre' years," he said firmly, waiting. Waiting oh so patiently.

She looked at him. He wanted her too… wasn't that wrong? Kissing a man in sleep? Kissing a man she had never kissed before in sleep except in fragmented dreams that managed to fight through the nightmare's every once in a while.

She paused.

He waited.

She opened her mouth to say something.

He waited.

She–

"Please Bones," he said "please wake daddy up,"

How could she refuse? Would it work? Was a kiss really the answer?

Swallowing Temperance nodded and walked round the bed, tracing the sheets with a single finger 'til she came to a pause by his head. She was so nervous, so, so nervous. Could it really work? Oh please, she begged, please with all my heart I hope it does.

She leant over and let their lips kiss. It was like kissing a corpse except it was warm. So unresponsive so relaxed. She could do anything to him right now and he wouldn't stop her. He couldn't stop her.

She pulled back slowly, dreading what she would see, eventually she did.

He was still there.

Still relaxed.

Still at peace.

Still so many miles away from home.

"Did it work?" Parker asked although he already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry Parker. I don't think he's going to-"

Parker stamped his foot "he will! He will! He will! He will wake up! You'll see. You're just not the right person! You don't love him! You won't wake him up! You won't wake daddy up! I hate you!" he then ran out of the room in tears.

He probably didn't even know what he'd said, what the words 'I hate you' meant but they still cut like a knife, still tore at her, gutted her, ripped her apart from the inside out.

_I see your face,_

_And then it hits me,_

_That I will miss you,_

_Oh when you're gone,_

She made it to the door, went to follow but the words echoed through her head once more _"I hate you!" _and she whirled round.

"You," she growled "it's you're fault! Why won't you just wake up dammit! You're son needs you! I can't do this! I can't look after him!"

It was patronising.

Having him lying there making not a movement, not a sound. Not a single indication.

"Why won't you just wake the hell up?" she screamed, her throat burning as she called out at the top of her lungs "I need you! Parker needs you! We all need you Booth so wake up!"

She moved towards the bed, shaking with fury "I've had enough now, I can't do this, I can't pretend to be something I'm not. I'm not a mother, I'm not capable of looking after a five year old little boy when all he wants is his daddy to come and make everything better!"

He still lay there.

Still unconscious, oblivious, ignorant.

Still in the state that she craved so much now her body burned for it.

Sleep.

Pure, content filled sleep.

The kind of sleep you wake from ready to face the day, with that all encompassing feeling of being able to take on the world. It had been so long since she'd had a sleep like that.

The first few seconds after waking were the best, when nightmares didn't interfere and dreams didn't torment. Those precious few moments before the world came crashing down and all she wanted to do was cry, to curl up under the comforter and cry.

_My heart will sleep,_

_Until you wake it,_

_I hope and pray,_

_It won't be long,_

"Why can't you make it better Booth? Why can't you just make everything okay?"

The world wasn't welcoming.

Life wasn't something to crave, to want, to love.

It hurt, it burned, it scorched like fire and it tore you down bit by bit, destroyed you from the inside out.

Sometimes.

Sometimes you found a person who made that all go away, who made life seem something other than a chore. For her that someone was Booth.

"This case is now going on in practically secret, I'm staying up 'til all hours of the night to try and gets something, a clue, an answer, a reason. I'm dying here dammit and all you can do is lie there and I know you can't wake up but I need you too. I need you to think about the case in that way you do, to come up with the story," she wasn't even making sense any more, logic merging with emotion making everything that much harder to see 'I can use the facts but you can make everything link together'

_This house is home,_

_And when you leave it,_

_Then I will miss you,_

_Oh when you're gone,_

She once loved her job, her life, her apartment seemed welcoming when she came in still high from the rush of catching the bad guy and now? Now it seemed empty, cold, dead.

"I want everything to be okay again. Why can't you make it okay?"

His eyes were closed and his hair perfect, his chest rising and falling was the only movement in the room. The only sound of her hoarse voice screaming out and her heart pounding in her ears.

"Your son just said he hates me-"

Parker.

She'd let him run out. Let him leave. Let him go. Just like she had Booth.

"You see what you do to me?" she was getting louder and louder, screaming as tears poured from her face and off her chin, her heart pounding, her fists clenched, almost doubling over in the agony erupting in her gut.

"I can't do anything right any more! I can't think, I can't work, I can't even solve a case I've been working on for four God damned months and it's all your fault. You're a drug, you're addictive and I can't just quit you when I want too. I want to quit you so much. You're everywhere I turn and you're there every time I close my eyes!"

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up!

Damn you straight to hell and I hope you burn just… just…

"Get out of my head! If you're gonna go just go but don't just leave me hanging, don't make me wait. Either wake up or die already!"

She'd just told him to die.

Oh God.

"Please wake up," she pleaded, exhaustion rolling over her body in waves. She was drowning in water far to deep. She'd forgotten how to swim and it was just that easy. To let go, give in "please Booth. I'm begging you harder than I've begged for anything in my life just wake up and fix it. Fix me," her head hung as pains shot through her stomach. Pain of grief, of mourning, of anxiety, of everything other than what she wanted to feel.

There was no easy way out. Nothing that would make the pain dull. Nothing unless her succumbed to her pleading cries.

"Fix me," she sobbed into her hands, collapsing to her knees, hair spilling across the tiled floor as she leant over to rest her forehead on it. Stomach churning. Chest burning.

She was broken like china, shattered into a thousand tiny pieces and the only thing to fix it was Booth. His voice. His eyes. His touch. Everything that she had once taken for granted she would give the world to have again.

_I've been taking it,_

_All for granted,_

_It was there in,_

_Front of my face,_

_I couldn't see,_

_Into understanding,_

_And how could I know,_

_How could I lose my way,_

Someone screamed down in the waiting room. A scream never heard by her yet oh so familiar, piercing, loud, terror filled.

She was scrambling to her feet in less than a second and hurtling down the corridor in even less time than that.

Blood.

A scream still echoing off the walls and a body on the floor.

A man in black. A dark figure. A hunter. A killer. A murderer.

She collapsed where she was, falling to her knees in shock, legs giving way under the strain of keeping her shaking form upright 'Get away from him!' she screamed. It was true, it was happening, Parker was dead and Booth was too. She was alone and it was all her fault.

Her dream had been a premonition, a warning and she'd ignored it, she'd been to busy. It had been telling her what would happen.

Parker on the floor.

And the man in black next to him.

"Get away! Get away! Get away!"

The man got up and backed off, his hands up in surrender. A mere businessman checking a child that had slipped up and cut his forehead on the chair he'd collided with "I was only-"

"Thank you," Zack said, crouching next to Parker and helping him to his feet.

It was only a little cut but he'd wanted to get away, she had to hate him that's why she'd said it. She wouldn't wake up daddy so she must hate him. He didn't hate her it just made it hurt less in his tummy to think about her hating him if he said that he hated her back.

_I've been taking it,_

_All for granted,_

_I got no excuses for that,_

_I couldn't see,_

_Into understanding,_

_But how could I know,_

_I wonder when you look back,_

"'m okay," Parker said, one hand over the cut above his eyebrow, tears springing to his eyes. He was being brave. He wasn't going to cry.

It was only a businessman. He'd only been trying to help. But he'd been wearing black… Parker had been on the floor… he was bleeding.

She'd seen a blur and seen the blood, seen the figure, seen the dream. The room was spinning and her stomach spasmed, the walls were closing in and all she could hear was her own panted breaths as she tried to scream, tried to cry, tried to do something, anything but not nothing. She'd done far too much _nothing_.

Her vision began to blur even more and the edges became unclear. The room was tipping… no wait that was her… or was it? Is that Angela? There was hand on her back and she scrambled to get away, don't touch, dirty, burned, wrecked, she killed them! She killed them! Dirty, filthy rotten murderer! All her fault! She'd killed them!

* * *

"Is she going to be okay doctor?"

"She'll be fine. She had a panic attack, caused presumably by stress or lack of sleep, maybe a combination of both. A hallucination or nightmare of something happening to … Parker is it? Will have brought everything crashing down when she saw him injured I presume. We'll have to see,"

Who was that? Where was she? God her head hurt.

Temperance tried to speak but only succeeded in weak groan, she brought a hand up to her head, nope, normal size despite it feeling like about three times its normal size.

"Sweetie?" Angela asked, putting a gentle hand on hers and clasping it gently "sweetie are you okay?"

"Where am I?"

She remembered screaming and blood. The man in black… Parker!

"Where's Parker?" she sat bolt upright, panic etched across her face.

Zack stood quietly in the corner. She looked so different to the normal Dr. Brennan, pale faced, her hair hanging limply about her shoulders, a white hospital gown and sheets pooled in her lap. Was Booth's absence really tearing her apart so much?

"He's fine honey," Angela tucked a stray lock of hair behind her friend's ear, smoothing it down at the back of her head and allowing her hand to rest momentarily at the nape of her neck before taking her hand back "just a little bump,"

"Gave us all quite a shock there," Doctor… Gerritson said, "do you remember what happened?"

She frowned "I heard a scream … I saw blood … Parker… a man in black… then everything felt so tight, I was shaking, I couldn't see… then darkness" she looked up at him. What _had_ happened?

_Will you remember?_

_Our road is straight,_

_Our road is long,_

_My heart is with you,_

_And I will miss you,_

_Oh I will miss you,_

"You had a panic attack Ms. Brennan. Have you been sleeping well lately? Eating? Are you stressed?"

She shook her head "Booth… everything's been so confusing. I couldn't eat, every time I do I throw up. I can't sleep. He's there, everywhere,"

"Who is?"

"The man who made my mommy go away and hurt my daddy so he's asleep," Parker said from the doorway, Jack and a still dressed-as-a-clown Doctor Goodman close behind him.

"They sent all the kids home and came here after we followed," Angela filled her in. She nodded in reply.

"I'm sorry I said I hated you," Parker crawled onto the bed and into her lap, burying his face into her chest, her arms coming to encircle him on reflex "and I'm sorry I made you cry,"

"You didn't make me… I just…"

"She hasn't been sleeping very well and so she had what's called a panic attack which means that the room started spinning and she couldn't see and it made her pass out," Doctor Gerritson explained.

_I know I will miss you,_

_Oh when you're gone_,

"Dunno what you mean but it sounds bad" Parker replied, looking out from his hiding place for a moment then looking up at her "then I'm sorry for that too,"

"It's… not nice," Dr. Gerritson added, eyebrows raising at the sight of a rather… peculiar family "well if you're feeling okay now I can go get the release papers," he looked at her and as soon as she had nodded he left to get them.

_That was um… different? I had no intention of that chapter turning out the way it did and… wow! It only took an hour! I know that ooc probably did occur but as I have repeated many times: bare with me._

_IMPORTANT NOTE:_

_Does anyone know what Rebecca's surname is? As I've already said chapter 12 is written, come to think of it so is Chapter 13 and 14 is being written at the moment … Lol. But seriously I do need to know. If not I'll make it up._

_But thanks and KEEP REVIEWING!_

_BTW anyone want to join my Bones Forum? I know I've already PM'd alotta ya but I don't think the link will work, if you want the link again or simply wanna know the link coz I haven't already told ya ask me in the review and I'll get it to ya somehow, most likely via email. oO_


	12. Bullet Blood Brennan

_Disclaimer: This song is Everywhere by Michelle Branch. The site mentioned does NOT exist as far as I know, if it does no copyright or infringement is intended. _

_Warning: There is a description of how the murderer became what he is in this. Mentions of non - con sex_

Chapter 12: Bullet. Blood. Brennan.

She was supposed to be resting, sleeping, eating but she couldn't. Couldn't get this out of her head and she just knew she was close. Knew that it wouldn't take long if only she tried. So she did.

A brave face for everyone and tears for herself.

A smile for the world and a frown in her heart.

She would lie and pretend as long as she needed too.

Everything seemed so much clearer now, a panic attack was all it took. The smallest trigger for the bigger reaction.

It could fire a gun.

End a life.

Ignite a fuse.

Fuel fury.

Pump adrenaline through your veins so fast you were on a constant high. Parker had been her trigger to start this and he would be the trigger to end it. Too see that look in his eyes one more time, to know that she had given him the one thing he wanted most would be enough reward to last her several times over.

Temperance still firmly believed, even if some part of her was telling her it would not make a difference, that finding the killer would make Booth wake up.

It was a test.

That's all it was.

A test.

A test she'd almost failed but was still trying at.

There had to be something she'd missed, something obvious, something that would give her the answer, the proof, the evidence and the culprit.

She looked up from the fragment of bone she was examining and frowned when she saw Carter sat at her desk.

Sighing she put the fragment back down, took of her gloves and went up to her office.

"Excuse me," she said, leaning in the doorjamb.

She couldn't hold back a smirk when he jumped and there was the sound of a lot of clicking as he closed windows on her computer screen.

"What do you want?" he snapped, leaning back in her chair, his hands behind his head in a relaxed posture that she could see straight through, he'd been doing something he shouldn't have.

"May I?" She gestured to her computer as she stood up.

He got out of her chair and left the office as she took her seat.

What had he been using her computer for? Internet… hmm… Let's check the history.

_Turn it inside out so I can see, _

_The part of you that's drifting over me, _

_And when I wake you're never there, _

_But when I sleep you're everywhere, _

_You're everywhere,_

He'd forgotten to log out.

She let out a chuckle at his screen name of 'sexbomb312' and clicked on his 'friends' list.

Her jaw dropped in astonishment.

Jessica Wolf-Macklin.

Melissa Pacroft.

Amber Woodcroft.

Kayleigh Ashton.

Rebecca Hargreaves.

She pulled out their case files and checked something she and Zack had uncovered a little while ago and she'd been trying desperately follow but it kept turning up at dead ends.

'Member of…' the only other similarity between each family and the next other than the ages of the children but if she was right … those kids had nothing to do with it.

Her stomach rolled and her head span.

Every single one of those women had been on this site within the past two years.

"You have mail," a monotone voice droned out and she glanced up to check Carter was no where near and was – although she never thought she'd say this-happy to see that he was poking and fiddling with the skeleton on the examination table.

Clicking on the now flashing 'inbox' link she opened the new message.

'Re: How about dinner sometime? You, me, a bottle of wine? We could get to know each other … face to face … maybe in more ways than one. Les xxx'

Creep, she thought before reading the replying.

'I'm sorry Les, but I'm seeing someone else now. Thanks for asking though. Kirsty xxx'

Returning to inbox she decided to read the last message from each of the now dead women.

'Not interested.'

'Leave me alone you creep!'

'I've tried being nice but now you're getting pushy. I'm not interested.'

'This is the last time Lesley! I'm seeing someone now!'

'I'm not interested Lesley and this is the last time I'm going to tell you that. You're not my type.'

Oh.

Fuck.

"Something wrong?"

She nearly fell of her seat but grabbed the desk edge and regained composure before standing up and passing Carter a pad of paper and a pen.

_Just tell me how I got this far, _

_Just tell me why you're here and who you are,_

"What do you want me to do with this?" he asked bemused.

"Write,"

He nodded "what would you like me to write?" his voice silky smooth, making her skin crawl and her stomach performing acrobatics.

_'Cause every time I look, _

_You're never there, _

_And every time I sleep,_

_You're always there,_

"Catch," she said "me if you can," she swallowed, her mouth dry.

"There," he handed her the paper and pen back.

Taking it and with the other hand pulling out the note that had been found in the mouth of Melissa Hargreaves months ago from her lab coat pocket as it hung next to her desk, which was now between her and Carter.

The same.

The writing was the same.

Each curl of the letter, each flick of the pen.

She'd let him near Parker, she'd spoken to him, touched him, she worked with him, he knew everything about their work, about their progress or lack thereof on the case.

Temperance felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as he grinned at her bowed head. She looked up.

"You," she muttered, staring at Carter her eyes narrow and hatred seemingly pouring from her very being "it was you,"

Carter sneered at her before suddenly bolting out of her office at an almost inhuman speed.

Temperance was hot on his heels, her feet burning in her boots as she hurtled through the lab and down the steps not even stopping when she pushed past Doctor Goodman and he exclaimed. "What the…" as she flew through the double doors and down the corridor she skidded to a halt when she saw the elevator doors closing. Carter smirking at her from inside.

She ran her hands through her hair in panic. She hadn't a clue what she would do if she caught him but she had to.

For Parker.

For Booth.

For her.

For every single goddamned soul that he murdered so brutally.

He would pay, a thousand times over and with ten times the pain he would pay. Never before had she imagined what she wanted to happen to a murderer so vividly. Never had she revelled in the thought of stringing him up and torturing him. Pulling fingernails, drawing blood, short shallow cuts enough to bleed enough to hurt but no where near enough to lead to a blissful state of unconsciousness. No where near enough to give him an easy way out from the world.

_'Cause you're everywhere to me, _

_And when I close my eyes it's you I see, _

_You're everything I know, _

_That makes me believe, _

_I'm not alone, _

_I'm not alone,_

The stairs, she would have to take the stairs.

"Excuse me… sorry… excuse me… thank you," everyone she passed seemed to make no attempt to get out of the way. Didn't they get it? Didn't they understand?

She made it to the ground floor faster than most thought possible but far, far slower than what she would have liked.

"Tempe-" Angela began as she came over "what's going on?"

"Him," she spat, looking left then right then left again. Where the hell was he?

"Who?"

She spotted him.

Him in his Armani suit and shiny leather shoes as he walked away, a cocky stance and a self satisfied smirk.

He didn't even seem to know when the game was over. When his kicks had been kicked down. When he had lost.

Parking lot.

He was heading for the parking lot.

Taking Angela by the shoulders and pushing her aside she took off once more, her burst of speed forcing Carter too speed up, for him to take off at a run.

If he made it down there she wouldn't stand a chance. He'd be gone and she would have lost.

But she would not loose.

Not this time.

She sprinted, her lungs searing and a stitch in her side as she pushed herself to the limit, her head spinning and feeling like it was pulsing from exertion.

Temperance made it to the parking lot, stopping and forcing her eyes back into focus, where was he? He wasn't here! He wasn't here! She couldn't have lost him, not now, not after everything.

She turned in a circle slowly, the sound of her own breathing was deafening in the uncomfortable silence that surrounded her.

"So you finally figured it out," Carter said slowly, the clipping of his shoes joining her desperate pants for air as he came through a side door.

She was stood in the middle of the parking lot, out in the open. Unprotected.

A gun. _The_ gun was being tossed from hand to hand, weighing it out, testing it in his hands.

_I recognise the way you make me feel, _

_It's hard to think that,_

_You might not be real,_

_I sense it now; the water's getting deep, _

_I try to wash the pain away from me, _

_Away from me,_

"You killed them. You killed them because they turned you down," state the obvious keep him busy, plan your escape route, and know your ground.

"True," he nodded "they should have known better. Should have known I would have gotten back at them,"

"Killing their kids?" she cried, "torturing them?"

His face held the expression of reminiscing, as if remembering what he'd done was a fond memory "it did have its perks. Hearing them begging for me to stop, to kill them not their children. To let the little brats live," he smirked at her "didn't of course. Made them watch. Made them watch as I killed their precious children,"

"You son of a bitch," she breathed, her fists clenching at her sides for what she had no idea, flesh and bone stood no chance against a gun. Booth was living proof of that.

"Yes," he agreed "she was. My father invited his friends over every night. Started to make me watch as she was fucked again and again on the kitchen table when I was seven. At first I hated it and he'd had to hold me down to make me see but then… ahh then I began to revel in it. The passion. The adrenaline. Like sweet, sweet honey. She died when I was fourteen, took my father with her like but those seven years…" he shivered in pleasure and Temperance was disgusted and horrified, a sliver of sympathy trying to make its way into her heart but she pushed it down. "Oh and that last one… she had to pay,"

"What did Rebecca do that none of the other's did?"

"Brat wasn't there was he? Hid on mommy's orders. She had to pay because she didn't make him watch,"

"You raped her!" Temperance accused.

"And oh how she begged," he replied "same as you will,"

He'd realised he was being distracted now he had to get back on course. Had to have another memory to get off too. Once more her stomach rolled at the thought.

She swallowed and stood up straighter, tilting her chin as he cocked the weapon in his hands and aimed it at her.

"It's a real shame you didn't tell anyone it was me," he said, his finger slowly coming to curl round the trigger "you've just bought me enough time to get out of the country,"

"I die here they'll know it was you," she said, hating herself for her voice sounding so shaky. If she died here…

He took few steps in a way that indicated he was circling her, she followed. Never take your eyes of the target. Don't back down. Face it. Deal. She turned her away now, lost eye contact he would win. He would win anyway but at least she could go down with the knowledge that she looked her killer in the eye.

He laughed, throwing his head back momentarily before looking back at her, a self-assured grin and a manic glint in his eye "that's the beauty of it! All these cameras…" he gestured "are disconnected!"

"What?" she barely spoke, it was as if she mouthed it, a frown coming across her face. As always he was one step ahead.

_'Cause you're everywhere to me, _

_And when I close my eyes it's you I see,_

_You're everything I know, _

_That makes me believe, _

_I'm not alone, _

_I'm not alone,_

"Doesn't matter now Temperance," he spat her name, as if it tasted foul in his mouth "you're going to die and I'm going too be in Vegas playing Black Jack before anyone even knows your missing never mind dead,"

"You wouldn't," she jeered, goad him into to doing it, don't let him see the fear, he thrives on it, don't scream, don't cry, don't make a sound, don't let him know it hurts. Don't let him know you're scared.

Fear is what killers liked, fear and pain, made them feel powerful, like a bully in the playground, you're next door neighbours brother. The cantankerous old man next door. Give them what they want and they don't even realise what they're doing, stare them down, make them think you want it and they stop.

"You really want to bet your life on that-" he fell to the ground sideways, Jack climbing off of him and dusting himself off.

Temperance stared at him wide eyed in shock. Jack had saved her life. _Jack_ had just saved _her_ life.

_I am not alone, _

_Whoa, oh, ooh, oh,_

Shaking her head she rushed over to where Carter's gun now lay several feet from him and seized it but Carter was already scrambling to his feet.

He now stood where she had and she stood where the gun had fallen, her aiming a loaded weapon at him, her stance strong and sturdy and a look Jack had never seen before in her eyes.

"You wouldn't," he repeated her earlier said words in mocking, he seemed to falter a little when she aimed the gun even higher and straightened her back.

Taking up the roll of repetition instantly she replied "you really wanna bet your life on that?"

"You don't have the guts little girl," he jeered.

Abruptly and without warning she raised her arms straight above her head and fired one, two, three shots upwards in perfect succession and he barely had time to blink before the gun was back on him.

"I have more guts than you ever have. You pathetic excuse for a human being,"

_And when I touch your hand,_

_It's then I understand, _

_The beauty that's within, _

_It's now that we begin, _

_You always light my way,_

_I hope there never comes a day, _

_No matter where I go, _

_I always feel you so,_

"Go to hell," he snapped before turning his back and setting off at a run.

"Not to day," she muttered, firing.

* * *

"I really should put in a report for you using a gun Doctor Brennan," Dr. Goodman said, unable to keep a semi happy note from his voice "but I won't,"

She made no noise of response, watching as Carter moaned in agony clutching at his shoulder as blood pumped forth from it and paramedics lifted the stretcher with him on it into the back of the ambulance.

It was over.

She'd done it.

What was she supposed to do now?

_'Cause you're everywhere to me, _

_And when I close my eyes it's you I see, _

_You're everything I know, _

_That makes me believe, _

_I'm not alone, _

_'Cause you're everywhere to me, _

_And when I catch my breath, _

_It's you I breathe, _

_You're everything I know, _

_That makes me believe,_

_I'm not alone,_

Jack slapped her on the back as he came over, laughing in delight "nice shot Doctor Brennan!" He said, ecstatic.

Angela and Zack looked at her, both unable to keep even slight smiles off their faces. Angela knew she shouldn't feel the way she did about her friend shooting a federal agent but she couldn't help it, a part of her felt bad but for the most part? Too do the things Carter had done didn't even make you certifiable as human.

"Right on the mark," Doctor Goodman said quietly, each rejoicing in their own way at her success.

She looked at them seriously, no smile, no look of elation, just exhaustion 'I missed' she replied simply then turned and walked away.

_You're in everyone I see, _

_So tell me, _

_Do you see me?_

_Okay so some of that might of seemed TOTALLY off but it worked didn't it? And I know it all being solved in one chapter seems kinda rushed but I think it worked right? I mean technically it is the second longest chapter yet. If not, if it is rushed I'm sorry. Forgive me:)_


	13. Now or Never

_Disclaimer: The song in this chapter isn't mine, it's called Iris and belongs to The Goo, Goo Dolls. I was listening to this song and suddenly I thought of Brennan then this whole scene came to my mind._

Chapter 13: Now or Never

The rain pattered against the window of her office. It wasn't a full-blown thunderstorm, not yet, it was slow and mournful, a hollow melody to a long lost friend.

She stared blankly at her computer screen, unable to actually remember what she was supposed to be doing. Sighing in frustration she got to her feet to close the blinds, hoping that in doing so she would block out something, anything whatever the hell it was that was blocking her thoughts even though she knew it wouldn't work. Booth was a drug, in her heart, her mind, her work and her arms. He was in every breath she took and every room she entered. She couldn't escape him and it was killing her.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you, _

_Cause I know that you feel me somehow,_

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, _

_And I don't want to go home right now,_

Her arms encircled her own body, something she'd taken to doing since the night her world had been taken up in a whirlwind. As if attempting to draw some semblance of comfort from somewhere inside her that wasn't plagued by _him_.

Temperance took a deep breath and released herself, she wasn't weak, she was strong and she fought. She wasn't going to be brought down by this; he didn't mean anything… not a thing…

She reached for the mouse hoping that when she did she'd be able to remember what she was doing but instead she found herself picking up a photograph in a silver frame. It was from the Christmas that they'd all spent in decon, Angela had taken pictures and then given everyone a copy of the best ones.

On the left Zack was trying to build a castle out of cards, on the right Jack and Goodman seemed to be deep in conversation. On the couch in the middle were herself and Booth, smiling, which had been a rarity that Christmas and laughing as they tested out the robot that Zack had made for Parker.

_And all I can taste is this moment, _

_And all I can breathe is your life, _

_Cause sooner or later it's over, _

_I just don't want to miss you tonight, _

The salty tears were burning, begging to be released and not held back, she wanted to sob her heart out only she couldn't. Yes she'd shed a few tears and yelled at Booth and screamed and ranted but she was yet to break down not from exhaustion, stress or anger but purely because it was what she needed to do only she couldn't and she wouldn't. Someone had to hold it together; someone had to be in control.

She ran her finger over his laughing face, her chest burning, this was agony, sheer torture. She was falling to pieces faster than she could pick them all up and she knew eventually she would have to let go someone else would have to take charge for a while because she couldn't keep doing this for much longer. No matter how much she tried to tell herself.

She glanced out the window of her office, into the area outside it where Parker was stood in the middle of the hardwood floor pointing for Angela to run to certain places whilst Zack turned round in circles in front of the boy. All three of them were laughing.

_And I don't want the world to see me, _

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand, _

_When everything's made to be broken, _

_I just want you to know who I am, _

She slammed the photo back onto the desk and buried her face in her hands. This wasn't how it was supposed to be dammit! Parker was supposed to be at home with Rebecca, Angela was supposed to be getting ready to go home, Zack was supposed to be racing insects with Jack and Booth was supposed to be here, in her office, bugging her, telling her what to do. He wasn't meant to be in a coma, reliant on a machine to keep his lungs breathing and his heart beating.

They should have gotten Parker that night, said goodbye to Rebecca, promised to have him back on Sunday evening and she should have gone back to the lab to work on the case. But that hadn't happened, her world had been turned upside down, but some murderous asshole had decided to rock the boat that was her life and the lives of everyone involved.

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, _

_Or the moment of truth in your lies, _

_When everything seems like the movies, _

_Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive, _

She had tried over and over again to get in contact with Booth's parents but they either didn't want to be or couldn't be found and in a way part of her was glad about that because she feared she knew what their decision would have been. Turn it off. Let him go.

Temperance knew it was selfish but she didn't want that. She'd put the decision off for so long, hoping beyond all hope that she would wake up and that this would all be some horrible nightmare. She would come to work late and be hassled as to where she'd been, be taunted by Booth for having 'gotten some' and everything would be right again.

But it wasn't about what she wanted, it was about what was right. Hell she wanted to kill Lesley Carter for what he'd done, hurt him so badly that he'd know what it felt like. To kill him again and again. To inflict the pain of all the people he'd killed on him tenfold but she didn't.

She'd shot him but that wasn't enough. Her target had been too small, Carter's heart far to shrivelled, far to shrunken for her to pierced accurately and if she had? Where would that leave her? Prison with Parker in care. She'd missed on purpose subconsciously. She hadn't killed him because Booth wouldn't have let her.

_And I don't want the world to see me, _

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand, _

_When everything's made to be broken, _

_I just want you to know who I am, _

She stood up and pulled on her jacket, picking up her bag and car keys she left her office.

"Where're you going Bren?" Angela asked, smiling brightly and slightly flushed from running where she'd been told "woah, steady there Zack," she caught the young man as he stopped spinning and threatened to pitch forward, looking distinctly nauseous.

"Out," she replied shortly, not looking at them and pretending to rummage through her bag for something. She couldn't say anything else, her throat felt like it was closing up and she didn't need her voice to betray her. Not now.

_I don't want the world to see me, _

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand, _

_When everything's made to be broken, _

_I just want you to know who I am, _

She hurried to the parking lot and with shaking hands unlocked her car and got in. Resting back against the seat she closed her eyes as the tears began to escape, flowing down her cheeks like small rivers. Her body trembling in emotion induced agony. She knew what she had to do but that didn't stop it from hurting.

She'd accidentally gotten eye contact with Parker on the way out. He stopped grinning when he looked at her, his eyes boring into hers. It was her conscience getting the better of her she knew but it was like she could see accusation in those eyes. Like he was her better half. The half telling her that she'd chosen wrong.

She turned the key in the ignition, revved the engine a moment against the rain that had dampened it and jumped and stalled the car when thunder rolled across the sky and the rain got harder.

Wiping her eyes on the back of her hand she started the car again and changed gear before driving out into the storm.

_I just want you to know who I am, _

_I just want you to know who I am, _

Angela would try to understand and say that she forgave her and for the most part she would do. But a small part of her would never be the same about Temperance, she would never truly understand how hard a decision her friend had to make and what the reasons for making it was.

Jack would remain the same carefree man he seemed to be about Booth's condition at the moment. Zack would retreat and speak little and rarely if at all to her and Parker . . .

She hit the steering wheel in frustration. It's not fair dammit! Life's just not damn well fair! It took and it stole and gave so little in return. It stole those that mean something and it gave those who didn't, it burned and drugged and it hurt and it never once stopped for a second.

She could apply for custody of Parker, which is if Booth's parents didn't suddenly show up and Rebecca's didn't change their mind about not wanting to raise him. She stood a chance she guessed. She had a good, steady, well paying job. She had a home that would pass inspection but would Parker want to stay with her?

Because one day, however soon from now he would find out what she'd done and he would never possibly be able to understand why she'd done it. He would leave. The only bit of the man whose life was in her shaking hands would be gone forever and she would have no one to blame but herself.

_I just want you to know who I am, _

_I just want you to know who I am, _

She found herself parked outside the hospital without really thinking too much about it. Taking the key out of the ignition, she wiped the tears away again, picked up her bag again and after a mental count down from three she opened the car door, slammed it closed and locked it.

The rain beat down on the pavement with such force it bounced straight back up again, the entire parking lot was swimming in water, two or three inches deep in places. Temperance could feel the water seeping through into her shoes but she didn't care, the numb was nothing like the freeze she'd be feeling far, far too soon.

She was soaked from head to toe in seconds as she made her way to the front door. It was now or never.

_Next chapter should be up sometime late afternoon (UK Time) tomorrow._


	14. Life Support Coma Kiss

_Disclaimer: This time the song is What hurts the most by Rascall Flatts. _

_Author's Notes: Okay guys, I was gonna leave this one but I couldn't. I'm going on a 'school trip' tomorrow and as my friend lives near the school I'm going over her house for the night in about two hours time. We have to be in school for 6AM so... anyway, I just couldn't wait to get this uploaded so here ya go. XD_

_Thanks to obsessedwithspike for telling me about this song – I got my friend to download it for me and I loved it and decided to use it XD._

Chapter 14: Life Support. Coma. Kiss

Her pace was fast and her movements sharp as she made her way to the desk.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist–Amanda–said cheerily.

Temperance leaned forwards and tried desperately to swallow the lump in her throat before answering "is Doctor Adams available?"

"He is, I'll just-"

"Temperance," Dr. Adams came over; a smile on his face "is everything okay?"

Okay? How could anything be okay? She was about to do something she swore she wouldn't do and yet how could it feel so very right at the same time as so very wrong? How could it feel almost easy?

"I want to do it," she said firmly.

"Are you sure?" he asked gravely, his bright smile fading to an expression of sincerity.

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house, _

_That don't bother me, _

_I can take a few tears now and then, and just – _

_Let 'em out, _

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while, _

"I'm sure," she said resolutely "I'm sure," was she sure? Shouldn't she be? She was _unsure_ because she was _sure_. How on earth after so long, after so much pain could she be sure that ending it this way would be the best thing?

Was she stealing again? If she didn't do this would he wake up?

"Very well," he nodded, it was times like this he hated his job, hated having to be the one to advise the grieving, having them on some level blaming him for telling them that their loved one didn't stand a chance "follow me,"

In silence she followed him down the corridor, every step leading her closer, every second one less chance that Booth had. She was going to _kill _him.

Please let him be awake when I get in there, let him have woken up. Don't make me do this, I can't do this, I'll hate myself.

But she had to do it, had to end it. She knew she, and Parker most definitely couldn't, live the rest of this life waiting, not knowing, never once being able to say whether or not he would wake up.

Chances were slim, they'd already been told that and now with Carter out of the way… there was no trigger, nothing that would wake him up. Months of suppressed logic, common sense, months of being blinded by love and living in a land of make believe and suddenly it was crashing down.

Suddenly she knew the best thing for everyone but that didn't stop it from hurting like she was being torn to pieces. Once he was gone she would never be whole again. He was her other half, her reason, her point, the thorn in her side and he had to go into a coma for her to realise that she loved him.

That she needed him. It brought a whole new perspective on the phrase: You never know what you've got until it's gone.

_Even though goin' on with you gone, _

_Still upsets me, _

_There are days every now and again, _

_I pretend I'm okay but that's not what gets me, _

Would things have been different if she'd realised sooner? Would any of this have happened if she'd told him how she felt? Her fear of being wrong, of not knowing, of having everything spin out of control was what stopped her only everything _was_ out of control.

Rebecca was dead.

Booth was in a coma.

Parker was as good as orphaned.

And she was heartbroken.

"Everything's ready," Dr. Adams said quietly "we'll leave you now so you can say goodbye. Take as long as you need," he touched her arm in sympathy and she looked down at it.

Her arms were once more wrapped round her body imagining it was Booth holding her, keeping her safe she nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

Dr. Adams nodded and he and the nurses he must have called in when she was off in her own little world left the room, softly drawing the door to a close as it shut behind them.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking at Booth, still the same, still unmoving. Still in a coma "I'm so sorry. Don't make me do this. Don't make me end your life. Wake up and fix it. Fix it. I'm begging you now Booth. Fix it. Fix me. You're the only one that can," You're the only one strong enough.

_What hurts the most, was bein' so close, _

_And havin' so much to say, _

_And watchin' you walk away, _

_And never knowin' what could've been, _

_And not seein' that lovin' you, _

_Is what I was tryin' to do,_

Temperance took a tentative step forwards and when nothing happened, what she was expecting she wasn't sure, she took a seat in the chair next to his bed, laying her purse on the bed next to him.

Touching him was so hard now, she trembled. Like kissing a corpse, like touching one too. He was so still yet so warm. Booth was never still for very long, always on the move, always doing something, fidgeting, examining things, talking. He never knew when to leave well enough alone.

Why? Why hadn't he left her alone? Why and how and he gotten in? She was always loosing people, the ones she loved, the ones she needed more than she needed herself.

She allowed her hand to hold his, letting their fingers intertwine, hers shaking, his pliant. His hand was so much bigger than hers, her hand looked like a child's compared to his.

"There are so many things I want to say to you but I guess I never will get that chance huh?" A small chuckle escaped her lips as she looked down at their hands then back at his sleeping face, a serious look once more on her own "Parker's great you know. You've got one amazing son, Booth; he's got a heart of gold. I couldn't have gotten this far without him," Parker, like an angel from heaven, one person that got her through the night and lit up a suddenly dark world with just a smile.

Warm, how could he be so warm when she felt so cold? So, so cold, not one that could be cured by central heating and blankets. One that was on the inside, one that could only be warmed by one person's touch, one person's arms, one person's voice.

"I need you to know something Booth. Something I haven't told anyone in a very long time," words that meant her opening herself up. It couldn't hurt any more than it did already right? "I love you," she said so quietly it was almost a whisper as she looked in earnest at his face "I love you,"

Temperance closed her eyes as tears began to spill over and roll down her face, so many tears, so much pain, so much for just one man. She hung her head; the salty water tickling her face as it trickled down it.

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losin' you, _

_Everywhere I go, but I'm doing it, _

_It's hard to force that smile, _

_When I see our old friends and I'm alone, _

She felt a single tear fall onto her hand and her eyes instantly opened, wide, as she looked down, had she just… there it was again, a gentle, barely there squeeze. The smallest amount of pressure around her hand. Was he… it couldn't be right? And again, harder this time, not noticeable with the human eye but she could feel it, soft as a heartbeat.

"Booth?" she choked, not daring to hope.

No answer, not a thing.

Had she imagined it? No, no she hadn't, she knew what having her hand squeezed felt like, she knew.

Releasing his hand and getting to her feet Temperance rushed to the door "he's waking up!" she blurted out.

Dr. Adams who was signing something on a clipboard someone was holding out to him through the pen down and rushed over to her, nurses on his heels.

"Are you sure?" he said as the nurses checked the machine and spoke to one another but Temperance wasn't listening to them "what happened?"

"He… he squeezed my hand," she said breathlessly, feeling uncertain, unsure, self-conscious.

"Did he say anything?" Dr. Adams exclaimed as he hurried over to the bed and took Booth's wrist, checking his pulse in time with his watch.

"No," she followed him "but he did squeeze my hand,"

"Seeley?' Dr. Adams said loudly "Seeley can you hear me?"

"There's no change on the monitors," the nurse reported.

Dr. Adams took a small torch from his pocket and pried open Booth's eye, shining it in then away again, in and away again "no change," he added, pocketing the torch.

Temperance watched as the puttered round Booth, checking things, talking, words that meant no sense. The clock on the wall ticking so loudly it was deafening. It wasn't a fluke, he was… was he? Bodies in the morgue often just sat up because of the acids still in their bodies and that happened to people in comas too so maybe they were right ... No!

_Still harder getting up, getting dressed, _

_Livin' with this regret, _

_But I know if I could do it over, _

_I would trade, _

_Give away all the words that I saved, _

_In my heart, _

_That I left unspoken, _

"Temperance," Dr. Adams said gravely causing her to jerk out of her reverie "he's not waking up,"

Her eyes narrowed and looked about ready to start spitting fire "get out," she said dangerously low "get out, get out, get out!" she screamed, pointing at the door "all of you get out! You can't do this! You can't tell me he's not going to wake up! I know he is! I felt it!"

"Let's go," Dr. Adams motioned to the nurses and ushered them out "I am sorry about Seeley, Temperance," he said looking at her as she stared, fists clenched at the bed.

Temperance looked at him furious "you don't get to say that name," she said, her voice getting even lower, even more dangerous "now get the hell out of my sight,"

Dr. Adams nodded, determined not to let himself be intimidated by her as he shut the door and left her and Booth to themselves.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" she screamed at Booth "you can't just leave me hanging, you can't just do something like that and then just leave me. I love you dammit now wake up and tell me you can hear me!"

_What hurts the most, was bein' so close, _

_And havin' so much to say, _

_And watchin' you walk away, _

_And never knowin' what could've been, _

_And not seein' that lovin' you, _

_Is what I was tryin' to do, _

_Is what I was tryin' to do,_

"What gives you the right to do this to me Booth? No one has ever done this, no one, no one has ever made me feel like this so don't you dare just leave me to deal because I can't!" she paused, she was so tired, she slept but only woke up more fatigued, even more exhausted. Even more tempted to just give in. "I can't," she pleaded.

She stood there for seconds, minutes maybe even hours, she didn't know, before she went and sat down again, calm but aching twice as much as before.

She took his hand again "you showed me once," she said "now show me again,"

Nothing.

"Booth please," she sobbed, voice breaking, tears flowing yet again. Would she ever stop crying?

_What hurts the most, was bein' so close, _

_And havin' so much to say, _

_And watchin' you walk away, _

_And never knowin' what could've been, _

_And not seein' that lovin' you, _

_Is what I was tryin' to do, _

_Is what I was tryin' to do, _

Tiredness swept over her in waves. It wouldn't hurt to sleep, if he woke he would wake her too surely, and if not? If not she would stay here until he did. Pulling the chair closer to the bed she folded her arms on the mattress, still holding his hand, her lifeline, and lay her head down, closing her eyes she let herself slip into the easiest sleep in months.

In a dimly lit room of a silent hospital one word broke through a slumbering anthropologist's dreams, waking her from both sleep and a daze she'd been in for too long to even recognise it was there at all.

"Bones?"

**The End**

_I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that I'm on pain of death to do a sequel. It'll be called The Missing Piece if ya want me to continue. XD _

_Thank you to all the readers who have followed this from the beginning, to all of you who started reading any time since, and to any of you who read it in the future it's definitely been something I enjoyed doing. XD_

_If any of you have received email updates or are under the impression that this fiction is any longer than it is now, my apologies, I was simply doing a much needed, grammatical refit for the fiction._


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